WAABI was born in 1944 as the Women’s Association of the Allied Beverage Industries, Inc. Membership focused on women working in the beverage industry and on the wives of industry executives. Chapters quickly developed around the nation as WAABI focused its early efforts on “building good will for a good industry”. Charitable and community service programs were the primary focus of activities, along with social and industry education activities for the membership.
Since the beginning, WAABI's actions have been guided by its credo.
Moderation by word and example.
Licensing of only orderly places of business.
Strict observance and enforcement of the law.


In 1990, WAABI “re-invented itself” with a new name, a new membership target, and a new focus of energy. The new name, “World Association of the Alcohol Beverage Industries, Inc.” plus a new mission statement reflected a desire to no longer obscure the industry with which we are associated, and a commitment to make it clear that the active participation of men, as well as women, is required to accomplish our mission. The traditional generosity and involvement of WAABI members in national and local charitable and community service efforts has not diminished.

The Four Pillars of WAABI

The WAABI National Board met in December 2006 to chart the course of the organization. The Board members discussed the history of WAABI - where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished and how we’ve changed over the last 60 years. They talked about the challenges the organization faces today - changes and consolidation in the industry, conflicting political views held by our members and increased demands on the time of our members.

Finally, the Board concluded that if WAABI is to remain a viable organization we must streamline our operations, find common goals that each member could support, lessen the demands on our members’ time and focus our energies.

To that end, the Board decided to focus on four ideas:

Preventing Underage Drinking

Preventing Drunk Driving

Promoting Social Responsibility

Serving Our Communities

These principles are now known as The Four Pillars of WAABI.