Crazy Mountain Brewing today announced it would open its own beer importing company in the U.K., partnering with startup American Craft Beer Company Ltd. for sales, marketing and logistics support.
The Colorado-based craft brewery, which is currently distributed in 20 U.S. states and five countries, has secured a warehouse space with cold-storage capabilities and will begin self-distributing its products under the name “Crazy Mountain Brewing Company U.K.” next month.
American Craft Beer Company Ltd., its U.K. operating partner, is a minority owner in the business, said Kevin Selvy, the CEO of Crazy Mountain.
“Crazy Mountain Brewery will be afforded the opportunity to provide far more support to customers then many of the other imported brands in the market,” said Mark Smith, the founder of American Craft Beer Company.
Based in London, Crazy Mountain’s U.K. importing and distribution arm will “allow the brewery to increase their global presence and continue to grow within the European markets,” the company said in a statement.
“We built our exports to make up about 20 percent of our sales,” Selvy told Brewbound. “It got to the point where we needed take our export markets more seriously.”
Crazy Mountain recently took over Breckenridge Brewery’s former facility in Denver, Colo. and plans to grow its total production to more than 40,000 barrels in 2016 — up from 15,000 barrels last year — with the expansion into the larger space, Selvy said.
While it does, Crazy Mountain will also enter “a handful” of new U.S. markets.
After the entire U.S. and Sweden, the company expects the U.K to be its third largest market, Selvy said.