Fred Nesbit Distributing Co. Inc., a family-owned business based in Des Moines, has been sold to a much smaller company, Council Bluffs-based Doll Distributing Inc., for an undisclosed price.

The deal became final on Dec. 15, according to Mark Doll, chief executive officer of the acquiring company. “Talks started heating up in late summer, and it took a while to progress to this point,” said Doll, who is moving to Des Moines, as is his brother Jay, the company’s general manager and vice president. “These guys have been a fairly big operation in the Midwest, and there’s a lot to get your arms around.”

The Doll company was founded in 1965 by Merlin and Edith Doll with the purchase of a Hastings, Neb., beer distributing company. Their four children bought it about 20 years ago. “Council Bluffs was a small market for us,” Doll said. “We made it known we were looking for acquisitions.”

Doll said his family’s company sells about 1.5 million cases of beer annually in 11 counties in Southwest Iowa. He said Nesbit has been selling about 5 million cases annually. Manta, a business information source, estimates Nesbit’s annual sales at $33 million.

Doll Distributing has 15 employees and Nesbit had about 150, and Doll said all of those positions will be retained, and the staff size might grow to about 190. “We would like to continue to grow,” Doll said, “and the potential of the Des Moines market is fantastic.”