Greg Koch, Stone Brewing’s Executive Chairman, recently stepped down from his position as the CEO of Stone Brewing. He said it was time and that his leaving was not a sign the brewery would sell to the largest bidder,
Stone Brewing will never sell out. Stone Brewing is sacrosanct. We’re not interested in participating in a cash grab. There are two ways of operating a business – commodity or artisan. We operate as an artisan. We make decisions based on our passions. … Anybody that thinks commodity can operate as an artesian is ignoring the basic facts about how businesses operate.
Stone Brewing recently released a moving video that gave further insight into the company’s long term intentions and it’s ethos as a company that employs more that 1,100. They’re a company that plans to remain independent even though they are expanding to the East Coast of the United States and recently opened a brewery in Germany. Many breweries look for cash infusions to become a national, or international brand. Stone Brewing has done it with smart business sense and a strong tie to it’s craft roots (indie roots?).
Breweries like Dogfish Head, Lagunitas, Ballast Point and New Belgium do business differently. For many that’s OK. They decided that they needed to take, or at least investigate what it would take, to become a bigger brand with larger reach. They either sold small portions of equity (Dogfish Head), or the whole thing (Ballast Point was recently bought for $1 billion.) New Belgium is shopping around for a working capital to help it make the move to a larger brand.
Stone Brewing’s new video doubles down on it’s indie beer message. Take a listen.Greg Koch may not be the CEO of Stone Brewing, but his utilizing his new role as the face of independent breweries and why it’s important to stay that way.
