Founders Brewing — maker of the popular All Day IPA and coveted KBS brands — will expand distribution to the Pacific Northwest in 2017.
The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based brewery announced Monday that it would extend its footprint to Washington, Oregon and Idaho through the Great Artisan Beverage network of wholesalers.
“The Pacific Northwest has long been one of the craft industry’s most sacred regions,” Founders co-founder and CEO Mike Stevens said in a press release. “It was westward that Dave [Engbers] and I traveled in our discovery of craft beers some 25 years ago and we have long anticipated the day that Founders would be sold in this region. Simply put, it’s one of the country’s best craft beer beacons and we are humbled to be able to bring our beer to the consumers of the Pacific Northwest.”
Beginning in January, Founders will ship bottles, cans and kegs of its year-round beers, seasonals and specialty releases to Washington. The Odom Corporation, Craig Stein Beverage, Sound Beverage, Crown Distributing and Marine View Beverage will distribute the company’s products throughout the state.
Launch events in Seattle are planned for early January, the company said.
The following month, Founders will rollout in Oregon and Idaho. The brewery has partnered with General Distributors, Bigfoot Beverage and Summit Distributing in Oregon, and the Odom Corporation and Craig Stein Beverage in Idaho.
With the addition of three new states, Founders products will be soon be sold in 42 states and Washington, D.C. In 2016, Founders expanded its reach into to Maryland and West Virginia.
Founders — which the Brewers Association (BA) ranked as a top-20 U.S. brewing company in 2015 — recently opened a 190,000 sq. ft. brewery, barrel-aging room, warehouse and distribution center in Grand Rapids.
Founders has grown rapidly since selling a 30-percent stake to Mahou San Miguel Brewery in 2014. Francesca Jasinski, a spokeswoman for the company, told Brewbound that the brewery produced 269,000 barrels of beer last year and expects to make 350,000 barrels in 2016. Next year, the company has forecasted shipments of 465,000 barrels of beer despite having the capacity to brew nearly 1 million barrels, she said.
“One of our goals for next year is to be in the top 10 brewers in the U.S.,” she said.