Avery Brewing Expands Majority Investment with Mahou San Miguel

This morning, Boulder-based Avery Brewing announced that it has increased its partnership with Spanish family-owned Mahou San Miguel. What began as a minority 30% ownership agreement announced in November 2017, has been expanded to majority ownership of 70% of the company.

Mahou first made waves in the US with a 30% investment agreement with Grand Rapids-based Founders Brewing in December 2014, and added Avery Brewing to their portfolio just three years later. While the original alignment between Avery and Mahou centered around wanting to bring the 25-year old US brewery a greater international footprint and assistance with strategic and financial growth following the move to a new $27 million faculty in February 2015, today’s announcement focused more on deepening its presence domestically, while also aligning more closely with Founders to focus on strengthening their reach within Sales, Marketing, and National Accounts.

“Our focus right now is growing our presence in Colorado and across the US,” said Joe Osborne, Marketing Director for Avery Brewing. “Our partnership with Mahou has provided a wider breath of resources, opportunities to connect on strategy, marketing, press and campaign assistance, but it’s a two-way street. We’re teaching them about our market and they can offer a helping and as well.”

adam avery big beers 2019 — Adam Avery (Center) | Photo by Dustin Hall, The Brewtography Project

“This collaboration creates more opportunities to continue our dedication to “Beer First,” our team, and growth in our craft,” said Avery Brewing founder Adam Avery. “We are convinced that Mahou and Founders Brewing Co are the perfect partners to grow our brands and our presence in the market through a dedicated focus on sales, marketing, national accounts and Colorado.”

(Read: Adam Avery on the Decision to Sell a Minority Stake to Mahou San Miguel)

“Avery Brewing Company is one of the original western craft breweries and the Averys have been friends and confidants for several decades,” said Founders Co-Founder and CEO Mike Stevens. “Our industry needs folks that want to focus on legacy and building multi-generational breweries and Avery’s dedication to quality speaks volumes to what we all as homebrewers once started. We’re proud to be a part of this legacy and look forward to a great future together.”

Founders Brewing Co-Founders Mike Stevens (left), and Dave Engbers (right).

Avery, which produced 54,522 barrels in 2018, has seen an increased focus on bringing new beers into their portfolio. Last year saw the release of Brut IPA and a Hazy IPA to the lineup, and Osborne noted that this year Avery fans can expect the introduction of a Cucumber Hibiscus Sour, Imperial Hazy Juicy IPA, Double Barrel Maple Stout, releasing in late April, a Grapefruit Shandy in May, a low calorie Rocky Mountain Rose in June, and more from their taproom rarity series including a canned version of their Forbidden Fruit Sour, just to name a few.

“Mahou will have no impact on the beers we decide brew,” said Osborne. “We’re still brewer-driven and will keep focusing on pushing out new, awesome beers like we have always done.”

Full Press Release Below:

Boulder, Colorado, April 2, 2019 – Avery Brewing Co. has announced an expanded partnership with Mahou and Founders Brewing Company, who are now coming on together as 70% majority investors and long-term strategic partners in the brewery.

The objective of this deepening investment is to continue promoting the organic growth of Avery Brewing, strengthening its position in Colorado and expanding its brand presence in the U.S. The three companies will continue to focus investment in areas such as Sales, Marketing, and National Accounts, and will continue to develop a portfolio that combines quality, innovation and creativity, led by its most emblematic brand: White Rascal.

Adam Avery, founder of Avery Brewing, for his part, says that “this collaboration creates more opportunities to continue our dedication to “Beer First,” our team and growth in our craft. We are convinced that Mahou and Founders Brewing Co are the perfect partners to grow our brands and our presence in the market through a dedicated focus on sales, marketing, national accounts and Colorado.”

“Avery Brewing Company is one of the original western craft breweries and the Averys have been friends and confidants for several decades,” –said Founders Co-Founder and CEO Mike Stevens-“Our industry needs folks that want to focus on legacy and building multi-generational breweries and Avery’s dedication to quality speaks volumes to what we all as homebrewers once started. We’re proud to be a part of this legacy and look forward to a great future together.”

“This agreement strengthens the development of Mahou’s business in the United States, a market that is leading the craft revolution and which fits in perfectly with our capacity for innovation and passion for beer culture. For us, this operation represents another step that will bring us closer to achieve the leadership of family brewers in the craft and Premium sector at national and international level”, asserts Alberto Rodríguez-Toquero, General Manager of Mahou San Miguel.

About Avery Brewing Co.

A Colorado-based brewery for over 25 years, Avery Brewing has a singular focus on creating the perfect beer. In a world full of discord, their belief is that a singular dedication to something as seemingly simple and inconsequential as beer can transform the world. Avery Brewing exists to pursue the mastery of beer and to reveal its power. Standouts include White Rascal Belgian-Style White Ale, a remarkable selection of IPAs including Maharaja Imperial IPA, and Barrel-Aged 16ers like Vanilla Bean Stout. Discover what great beer can do to your world.

Beer First. The Rest Will Follow. www.averybrewing.com

About Mahou

A 100% Spanish-owned family company and is the category leader in the country with a production share of 34%. It produces from nine breweries, eight in Spain and one in India, four water springs with packaging plants, and a professional team of more than 3,200.

The firm’s history dates back more than 125 years, beginning with the birth of Mahou in 1890. Ever since then the company has continued to grow. In the year 2000, Mahou acquired San Miguel. In 2004 it added the Reina brand from the Canary Islands to its portfolio, followed in 2007 by Cervezas Alhambra. It furthermore diversified its business by purchasing Solán de Cabras in 2011.

Internationalization is one of Mahou’s strategic cornerstones for development of its business. It produces more than 70% of Spanish beer consumed world-wide, and is distributed in over 70 countries

About Founders Brewing Co.

Established in 1997 by two craft beer enthusiasts—Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens—with day jobs and a dream, Founders Brewing Co. brews complex, in-your-face ales, with huge aromatics and tons of flavor. Founders ranks among the top 10 largest craft breweries in the U.S. and is one of the fastest growing. The brewery has received numerous awards from the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival and RateBeer and BeerAdvocate users often rate its beers among the best in the world. A proud sponsor of chasing the American dream, Founders launched the Chase Your What If campaign in January 2019 to inspire all beer fans to live life to its fullest. Located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders is a member of the Michigan Brewers Guild. For more information, visit foundersbrewing.com or follow Founders on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.