There are lots of well-known craft beer brands out there. Two well-known ones are Terrapin and Saint Archer. However, the good folks at both Terrapin and Saint Archer took the money. Yep, they sold out to MillerCoors.
During the craft beer frenzy around the 2012-2015, there was a frenzy of mergers and acquisitions within the craft beer industry, as big beer brands secured their regional bets by acquiring craft brewers in various parts of the US. Lots of big beer houses like MillerCoors, ABInbev, or Heineken may have purchased your local microbrewery, but if you missed the local headline, how would you know? That’s why we’re here. We’re letting you, the consumer know.
Why does this matter? Well, if you want to support local businesses, these businesses aren’t strictly local anymore. And big business have a habit of poor practices. It’s just how they do. Even if these breweries are able to continue to operate “independently”, that’s not guaranteed.. See infographic for details and stay tuned for more as we shine light on the corporate structures of these “craft” brands.
Check out our “Craft” coffee infographic here that shows which formerly-craft brands have sold out.