New Jersey › Wholesale trade › 100 to 249 participants
Form 5500 statement · plan year 1 Feb 2024 to 31 Jan 2025
High Grade Beverage Retirement Fund
Sponsored by High Grade Beverage Co., North Brunswick, NJ
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. Form 5500 contains no individual account balances. Look up the original filing at EFAST2.
High Grade Beverage Retirement Fund is a defined benefit pension plan sponsored by High Grade Beverage Co. of North Brunswick, New Jersey. For the plan year ending 31 Jan 2025 it reported 170 participants, 30 of them active, and net assets of $11.5M.
Net assets came to $67,709 per participant, below the $80,635 median for defined benefit plans with 100 to 249 participants and above the $61,809 median for defined benefit plans in wholesale trade. The figure is an average across everyone in the plan, including former employees with small balances; Form 5500 holds no individual account data.
Employer contributions were $230K for the year ($7,673 per active participant) and benefits paid were $905K. In a defined benefit plan the employer's contribution follows funding rules rather than a match formula, so it can swing widely from year to year.
Schedule C lists 1 service provider organisation paid $5,000 or more, with reported compensation of $77K: $455 per participant, close to the same-size median of $451. Administrative expenses charged to the plan were $282K. Schedule C does not capture every cost: fees netted from fund returns and fees the employer pays directly are outside it.
Across the filings on record, net assets went from $7.5M in 2009 to $11.5M in 2024 (up 54%), and participants from 233 to 170 (down 27%).
The independent accountant's opinion on the financial statements was unmodified (unqualified), from an audit whose scope was limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C) to exclude investment information certified by a bank or insurer.
Compared with similar plans
| Measure | This plan | Same size | Same industry | All US DB plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $67,709 | $80,635 | $61,809 | $86,221 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $7,673 | $9,975 | $8,409 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $455 | $451 | $346 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.67% | 0.52% | 0.54% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $1,660 | $582 | $540 | $527 |
Peer columns are medians for plan year 2024 across defined benefit plans with 100 or more participants: 100 to 249 participants (1,156 plans), wholesale trade (157) and all US plans (5,308). Fee medians cover plans that report an amount.
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Schedule C compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 170 | $11.5M | $67,706 | $230K | — | $77K |
| 2023 | 172 | $11.0M | $63,930 | $77K | — | $74K |
| 2022 | 178 | $11.0M | $61,567 | $0 | $0 | $79K |
| 2021 | 178 | $12.8M | $72,191 | $0 | $0 | $94K |
| 2020 | 181 | $13.1M | $72,536 | $178K | — | $83K |
| 2019 | 186 | $11.8M | $63,699 | $474K | — | $71K |
| 2018 | 187 | $10.9M | $58,225 | $28K | — | $79K |
| 2017 | 189 | $11.9M | $63,148 | $38K | — | $79K |
| 2016 | 189 | $11.0M | $58,206 | $182K | — | $77K |
| 2015 | 191 | $10.3M | $53,702 | $282K | — | $72K |
| 2014 | 197 | $11.7M | $59,426 | $467K | — | $81K |
| 2013 | 202 | $11.0M | $54,307 | $485K | — | $72K |
| 2012 | 204 | $10.1M | $49,539 | $445K | — | $20K |
| 2011 | 207 | $9.2M | $44,594 | $623K | — | $19K |
| 2010 | 223 | $9.0M | $40,484 | $710K | — | $17K |
| 2009 | 233 | $7.5M | $32,172 | $662K | — | $14K |
Years in which the plan filed the full Form 5500 with 100 or more participants, from 2009. Plan year is the year in which the plan year began.
Statement for the year
- Net assets, beginning of year$10,995,869
- Employer contributions$230,177
- Participant contributions—
- Rollovers and other contributions—
- Total contributions$230,177
- Total income, including investment results$1,701,746
- Benefits paid$905,017
- Administrative expenses$282,145
- Total expenses$1,187,162
- Net income$514,584
- Net transfers$0
- Net assets, end of year$11,510,453
Participants
- Active participants30
- Retired or separated, receiving benefits77
- Retired or separated, entitled to future benefits63
- Total participants, end of year170
Fees and service providers
| Organisation | Services reported | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America | Custodial (securities); Trustee (discretionary) | $77,334 | $0 |
Schedule C, Part I line 2: providers that received $5,000 or more, with the form's own service codes. Individuals named on Schedule C (plan employees, individual trustees) are never shown and their compensation is excluded. Eligible indirect compensation disclosed by formula carries no dollar amount. See how to read Schedule C fees.
Administrative expenses on Schedule H
- Other administrative expenses$204,812
- Investment advisory and management fees$64,588
- Recordkeeping fees$12,745
- Total administrative expenses$282,145
Investment structure
Assets at year end by Schedule H category. The form shows the kind of vehicle holding the money, not the funds on the menu.
- Corporate stocks$7.1M · 61.3%
- Registered investment companies (mutual funds)$3.5M · 30.7%
- Cash (interest and non-interest bearing)$694K · 6.0%
- Receivables$232K · 2.0%
Audit and compliance answers, as filed
- Accountant's opinionUnmodified (unqualified)
- Audit scope limited under ERISA section 103(a)(3)(C)Yes
- Accounting firmWithumsmith&brown, PC
- Participant contributions reported as transmitted lateNo
- Covered by a fidelity bondYes, $2,000,000
- Blackout period during the year—
These are the plan administrator's own answers on Schedule H, Part IV. A reported late transmittal is the filer's disclosure of a timing lapse, usually corrected through the Department of Labor's voluntary program; the amount is the total involved, not a loss.
Plan characteristics
1BBenefits are primarily flat dollar (includes dollars per year of service)1IFrozen plan3DPre-approved pension plan
Codes entered on Form 5500 line 8a, with the labels from the official instructions. Business code 424800: Beer, Wine, & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages.
Other plans of High Grade Beverage Co.
| Plan | Participants | Net assets |
|---|---|---|
| High Grade Beverage 401(k) Plan | 393 | $22.7M |
| High Grade Beverage Union Pension Plan | 181 | $15.6M |
Similar plans in New Jersey
| Plan | Sponsor | Participants | Net assets | Per participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Grade Beverage Union Pension Plan | High Grade Beverage Co. | 181 | $15.6M | $86,268 |
| Exp Group LLC Cash Balance Plan | Exp Group LLC | 165 | $1.7M | $10,438 |
| Casio America, Inc. Retirement Plan | Casio America, Inc. | 218 | $33.9M | $155,724 |
| Centrome d/b/a Advanced Biotech Inc. Cash Balance Pension Trust | Centrome, Inc. DBA Advanced Biotech | 143 | $8.4M | $58,523 |
| Wallpaper Imports Inc. Cash Balance Plan | Wallpaper Imports Inc. | 254 | $4.7M | $18,363 |
| Noritake Co., Inc. Pension Plan | Noritake U.S.A., Inc. | 136 | $8.7M | $64,196 |
Defined benefit plans in wholesale trade closest in size.
Questions and answers
How big is High Grade Beverage Retirement Fund?
170 participants at the end of the plan year ending 31 Jan 2025, of whom 30 were active employees, with net assets of $11,510,453. Among defined benefit plans that places it in the 100 to 249 participants band, which held 1,156 plans in plan year 2024.
What does High Grade Beverage Co. contribute per participant?
The filing reports $230,177 in employer contributions for the year, which is $7,673 per active participant; the median for plans of the same type and size was $9,975 in plan year 2024. Form 5500 reports the total only. It does not state the match formula, and the per-participant figure is an average, not any one person's contribution.
What fees does the plan pay and how do they compare?
Schedule C reports $77,334 in compensation to service provider organisations, $455 per participant or 0.67% of net assets. The same-size median among plans reporting any Schedule C compensation was $451 per participant. Administrative expenses on Schedule H were $282,145. Investment costs deducted inside mutual funds and other pooled vehicles are not itemised on Form 5500, so these figures are a floor rather than a full cost.
Who runs the plan?
The sponsor is High Grade Beverage Co.. Trustee or custodian: Bank of America. The financial statements were audited by Withumsmith&brown, PC. Form 5500 also names the plan administrator's signer and other individuals; this site publishes organisations only.
Was the audit opinion unqualified?
The filing reports an unmodified (unqualified) opinion from a limited-scope audit, in which the accountant did not audit investment information certified by a bank or insurance company. Unmodified (formerly "unqualified") is the standard clean opinion.
How current is this, and does it show my balance?
This is the Form 5500 for the plan year 1 Feb 2024 to 31 Jan 2025, received by the Department of Labor on 17 Nov 2025. Filings are due seven months after the plan year ends, or nine and a half with an extension, so the public record always runs a year or more behind. It contains plan-level totals only: no individual balances, contributions or names of participants exist in the data.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files (Form 5500, Schedule H, Schedule C) for plan years 2009 to 2025, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. This page shows the latest filing on record for EIN 22-0989250, plan 002, received 17 Nov 2025; an amended filing replaces it at the next build. Medians and percentiles are computed by this site; see the methodology. Report an error through corrections.