Displaying items by tag: Founders Brewing Co

When Deschutes Brewery founder Gary Fish launched a two-year search to locate the Oregon company’s first satellite production facility, one of his top criteria was determining whether the state and local community wanted his business.

Pioneers of the craft brewing industry face a steep challenge from the growing market they helped establish. 

As the craft beverage industry matures, it’s attracted new entrants who may be more concerned with making a quick profit than with the quality of the liquid. 

A year and a half after launching Railtown Brewing Co. in Dutton, Justin Buiter and Gim Lee realized their craft brewery needed to expand well ahead of schedule. 

With its 348 barrels of beer produced last year, Newaygo Brewing Co. accounted for less than 1 percent of all craft beer made in Michigan in 2015.

Founders Brewing Co. now ranks among the top 20 U.S. breweries by sales volume for 2015, a list that includes both craft brewers and large domestic producers.

As craft beer exports present consistent growth opportunities for American producers, internationally-distributing companies such as Grand Rapids-based Founders Brewing Co. note that overseas markets are making up an ever-increasing portion of their sales.

As the craft brewing industry matures, many West Michigan producers have started seeking out technology that provides sustainable solutions to common issues. 

Despite a long career in the beer distribution business, Keith Klopcic lacked expertise in making the beverages he sold to bars and retailers around the state of Michigan. So when the opportunity arose to buy Comstock Park-based Perrin Brewing Co. last year, he tapped a partner with extensive craft brewing resources who had the know-how to help him continue scaling up the business.

After outgrowing its current production space, Founders Brewing Co. plans to add a second brewery in Grand Rapids.