High Country Beverage, a beer distributor with operations in Grand Junction and Montrose, has entered into a multi-year deal to become the official sponsor of the athletic program at Western Colorado University in Gunnison.

“High Country Beverage believes this is a great fit for the university and the Western Slope community,” said Bryce Kopperud, vice president and general manager of High Country Beverage. “There is a rich tradition within this athletic program that we are proud to be a part of. We both agree that there are intangible aspects of this agreement that will be mutually beneficial as we move forward.”

Miles Van Hee, director of athletics at Western Colorado University, also praised the deal. “We have been working on securing a sponsor like this for a while and are happy we could make it work with a great Colorado business.”

The sponsorship will enable High Country Beverage to engage with Western Colorado University athletics as well as promote a program encouraging responsible consumption.

High Country Beverage distributes a total of more than 300 brands of beer and malt beverages to regions in Western and Northern Colorado. For more information, log on to the website at  www.highcountrybeverage.com.