Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. CEO Jeff White has announced his retirement from the Chico, California-headquartered craft brewery.
Brewery founder Ken Grossman will step in as interim CEO as a search for a new CEO begins.
“We are excited for Jeff and are grateful for his many contributions to Sierra Nevada,” the company said in a press statement. “During his time as CEO, Jeff helped drive our company from a beer brewer to a beverage company, shepherding in a new era of beyond beer products and innovation.”
White, who is retiring after 38 years in the beer industry, will remain with Sierra Nevada over the next couple of months to help shepherd in the launch of the company’s CanDo Innovation Center in Chico.
White has served as CEO since early 2019, taking over for Grossman and becoming only the second CEO in Sierra Nevada’s more than 40-year existence. White joined the California craft brewery in 2013 as system integration director, and was named chief operating officer in 2016. Prior to Sierra Nevada, White held leadership roles at MillerCoors and Boston Beer Company.
When White took over as CEO, Sierra Nevada had just barely recorded a 0.2% sales increase in 2018, after two consecutive years of mid-single digit declines. Over the next two years, under White’s leadership, Sierra Nevada recorded two years of single-digit production increases.
Sierra Nevada finished 2022 as the third largest Brewers Association-defined craft brewery by volume. The company produced more than 1.062 million barrels, a -4% decline year-over-year (YoY). Sierra Nevada held a 4.38% share (-0.17%) of the craft beer market last year.
Sierra Nevada is the No. 12 largest beer vendor year-to-date (ending May 21) in multi-outlet plus convenience channels, according to market research firm Circana. The company has recorded a -0.6% decrease in off-premise dollar sales and -5.1% decrease in case sales YTD in Circana-tracked channels. Despite the declines, the company is outperforming craft segment trends, with overall craft dollar sales decline -1.7% and case sales declining 6.3% YTD in Circana-tracked channels.
The CEO change comes as the company attempts to continue the momentum of its Little Thing brand family, including Hazy Little Thing, and reinvigorating excitement for its flagship Pale Ale. The company recently released two new Little Thing beers: Crisp Little Thing and Tropical Little Thing.
In 2023, Sierra Nevada is focusing on its core brands, with the goal of increasing core volume +4% this year, VP of sales Ellie Preslar told Brewbound late last year. The shining star for the company in recent years has been Hazy Little Thing, which is the No. 4 largest craft beer brand in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels (total U.S. xAOC + liquor plus + convenience) through April 22, followed by Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, according to data shared by 3 Tier Beverages.
Hazy Little Thing increased dollar sales +4% YoY in NIQ-tracked channels through April 22, increasing dollar share of beer +0.1%. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale recorded a -6% decline in dollar sales in the period, losing -0.1% share of beer. Combined, Sierra Nevada’s brands have increased dollar sales +1% YoY in NIQ-tracked channels, but decreased volume -3%.
Sierra Nevada hopes to return Pale Ale to growth this year with a “Still the One” campaign, emphasizing that the beer is “just as good and just as relevant today as it always has been,” Sierra Nevada brand director Kyle Ingram told Brewbound in September.
Hazy Little Thing and the rest of the Little Things brand family is being supported with a new Little Things Party Pack variety pack as well as “a significant investment” in media.
The leadership change also comes as Sierra Nevada gets ready to open the aforementioned CanDo Innovation Center, an 85,000 sq. ft. facility that boasts a 500,000-barrel annual capacity. The facility will be dedicated to beyond beer offerings, including brands outside of Sierra Nevada’s own portfolio, such as energy drink brand Riot Energy, which Sierra Nevada made a minority investment in in March.