This Privacy Notice describes how Helmsman Imports, LLC (“Helmsman,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and otherwise processes personal information in connection with your access to and use of our website and any associated web-based or digital applications, portals, dashboards, or other digital tools made available by Helmsman (collectively, the “Website”).
This Privacy Notice is incorporated by reference into the Website Terms and Conditions and is subject to the dispute resolution, arbitration, limitation of liability, and other provisions set forth therein.
Introduction and Scope
This Privacy Notice applies only to personal information collected through the Website and any Helmsman-controlled web-based or digital tools that are expressly governed by this Privacy Notice.
This Privacy Notice does not apply to information collected offline, information collected in the context of a written services agreement or other contractual relationship, employment or applicant data, or information processed solely on behalf of clients pursuant to a separate agreement.
The Website may include links to separate customer portal applications, which are governed by their own terms, privacy policies, and access controls.
The Website is intended for business-to-business, trade, and informational purposes only and is not a consumer retail platform. Helmsman operates as a Tier-1 alcohol importer within the United States regulatory framework and does not sell alcoholic beverages directly to consumers. The Website is hosted in the United States and is primarily intended for users located within the United States.
Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of personal information through the Website.
Information You Voluntarily Provide
- Business contact information such as name, company, job title, email address, and phone number
- Account or portal credentials, if applicable
- Communications submitted through forms, email, or chat tools
- If implemented, we may collect age-affirmation or eligibility information in connection with compliance obligations.
- Business, operational, or organizational information submitted through lead, booking, or inquiry forms (such as company details, industry, or business setup information)
Information Obtained From Other Sources. We may also obtain business contact information from public sources, professional networking platforms (such as LinkedIn), industry events, referrals, and marketing or advertising interactions.
Information Automatically Collected. When you access or use the Website, we, our service providers, and third-party partners may automatically collect IP address, device identifiers, browser type and version, operating system, referring URLs, date and time of access, pages viewed, and activity or interactions with the Website, including mouse movements, scrolling, clicks, and keystrokes.
Inferred or Derived Information. We may derive certain information from your interactions with the Website, such as business or industry interests, content engagement patterns, and general commercial preferences relevant to our services. Technical and usage data is not considered anonymous if it can reasonably be associated with an individual or device.
Data Collection Technologies and Monitoring
In connection with your use of the Website, Helmsman and its third-party partners may collect information through cookies and similar technologies, third-party tracking pixels and tags, analytics tools, and session replay technologies that may record activity and interactions such as mouse movements, scrolling, clicks, and keystrokes. We may also use chat, messaging, or support technologies that may record, monitor, and store communications in real time.
These technologies may be operated by third parties acting as service providers or analytics and advertising partners. You acknowledge that such third parties may collect and use data for their own independent business purposes, subject to their respective privacy policies.
By accessing or using the Website, and subject to any cookie preferences or opt-out signals you have set (such as the Global Privacy Control where required by law), you expressly consent to the contemporaneous monitoring, recording, collection, and disclosure of your interactions with the Website by Helmsman and these third parties as described in this Privacy Notice and the Website Terms and Conditions.
How We Use Your Information
We may use personal information for the following business and commercial purposes:
- Service delivery, including operating, maintaining, and securing the Website and any associated portals, providing access to features, and authenticating user identity
- Communications, including facilitating business communications, responding to inquiries, and providing customer support
- Business operations, including supporting importation, logistics, compliance, and operational coordination with business partners
- Regulatory compliance, including verifying legal purchasing age, maintaining records required by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and state alcohol regulatory agencies, and ensuring compliance with applicable alcohol trade laws and tied house regulations
- Analytics and improvement, including conducting analytics, market research, and performance monitoring to improve our services, systems, and internal processes, including the development, training, and fine-tuning of internal analytics, automation, and machine-learning models
- Marketing and advertising, including engaging in marketing, targeted advertising (including cross-context behavioral advertising), and business development activities, subject to applicable opt-out rights
- Security and fraud prevention, including detecting and preventing fraud, unauthorized access, security incidents, and other malicious activity
- Legal obligations, including complying with applicable legal and regulatory obligations and establishing, exercising, or defending legal claims
We do not use personal information for purposes materially inconsistent with those described above without obtaining consent or providing appropriate notice as required by applicable law.
Disclosure of Information to Third Parties
We may disclose personal information to the following categories of third parties:
- Service providers that perform services on our behalf, such as hosting and infrastructure providers, security and monitoring vendors, analytics providers, and communications or customer support tools. These parties are contractually restricted from using personal information except as necessary to provide services to Helmsman.
- Analytics and advertising partners, including social media platforms, which may collect information through cookies, pixels, or similar technologies for their own independent business purposes, subject to their respective privacy policies. We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration; however, certain disclosures for analytics or advertising purposes may be considered a sale or sharing under applicable privacy laws.
- Governmental authorities, regulators, or law enforcement, including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and state alcohol regulatory agencies, where required or permitted by law, and in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, financing, or sale of all or a portion of our business or assets.
- To comply with applicable federal and state alcohol trade practice laws (“Tied House” laws), Helmsman does not sell, license, or intentionally disclose consumer personal information to licensed alcohol retailers (Tier 3) for their own independent marketing purposes.
Third-Party Links and “Where to Buy” References
The Website may include links to third-party websites, retailers, or fulfillment platforms for informational purposes. Helmsman is not the merchant of record for transactions conducted on third-party websites and does not control their privacy or data practices. Any transaction you enter into is solely between you and the third party, and any information you provide is governed by that party’s privacy policy and terms.
Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction of residence, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including the right to request access, correction, deletion, or portability, or to opt out of certain data uses such as targeted advertising or the sale or sharing of personal information.
We recognize Global Privacy Control signals and similar opt-out mechanisms where required by law. When applicable, a GPC signal will be treated as a request to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information for that browser or device.
Requests regarding personal information may be submitted using the contact information provided below. We will verify your identity before processing any request and respond as required by applicable law. Additional rights applicable to California residents are described in the California Privacy Addendum below.
Data Retention and Security
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Notice, including for the duration of our business relationship, and as required to comply with applicable legal or regulatory requirements (such as Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau record-keeping and tax audit obligations), or to resolve disputes.
We rely on information provided to us to be accurate and up to date.
We maintain commercially reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against accidental, unlawful, or unauthorized destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure, or use. No system is completely secure, and we do not guarantee absolute security of information transmitted or stored electronically.
Children’s Privacy
The Website is directed solely to adults of Legal Purchasing Age (21+) and is not intended for individuals under the age of 21. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 21. If we become aware that personal information from a minor has been collected, we will take reasonable steps to delete such information.
International Users and Cross-Border Transfers
Helmsman is based in the United States. If you access the Website from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, processed, and stored in the United States or other jurisdictions where our service providers operate. By accessing or using the Website, you acknowledge and consent to such transfers, which may occur to jurisdictions that do not provide the same level of data protection as your home country.
Where applicable, we process personal information based on legitimate business interests, contractual necessity, legal compliance, and user consent.
Changes to This Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. Any changes will become effective upon posting of the updated Privacy Notice on the Website with a revised effective date and will apply prospectively only. If required by applicable law, notice of material changes will be provided by posting the updated Privacy Notice on the Website.
Contact Information
For questions or requests regarding this Privacy Notice, please contact:
Email: inquiries@helmsmanimports.com
Address: Helmsman Imports, LLC
5900 Balcones Drive, Suite 100
Austin, Texas 78731
United States
California Privacy Addendum
This California Privacy Addendum applies only to residents of the State of California and supplements the Privacy Notice above.
Categories of Personal Information Collected and Retained
In the preceding twelve months, Helmsman may have collected the categories of personal information described in Section 2 of this Privacy Notice. We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to perform contractual obligations, and to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Sale or Sharing of Personal Information
We do not sell personal information for monetary consideration. However, we may share certain personal information with analytics and advertising partners for cross-context behavioral advertising under California law.
Categories shared may include identifiers (such as IP address or device identifiers) and internet or other electronic network activity information.
California Privacy Rights
California residents may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information; to opt out of the sharing of personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising; and to not be discriminated against for exercising these rights, subject to applicable legal exceptions.
We do not use or disclose sensitive personal information to infer characteristics and therefore do not provide a separate “Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information” link.
Exercising Your Rights and Global Privacy Control
Requests to exercise California privacy rights may be submitted using the contact information above. We may verify your identity before responding. Where required by law, we process Global Privacy Control signals as valid opt-out requests for the browser or device sending the signal.
California “Shine the Light” Disclosure
Helmsman does not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes within the meaning of California Civil Code Section 1798.83.
Acceptance
By accessing or using the Website, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Notice and agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of information as described herein and in the Website Terms and Conditions.
