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(Greg Koch and Steve Wagner)
In this era of COVID-19 distribution has never been more important. And Stone is doubling down on its capability with a massive new cold storage facility in SoCal.
Here’s the deal…
Before the pandemic larger craft breweries like Stone, (the ninth biggest craft brewery in the nation), were losing ground as beer lovers increasingly gravitated to smaller artisan brewery taprooms that sold directly to consumers.
But the coronavirus upended everything. Draft beer sales came to a standstill as states like California mandated prolonged bar and restaurant shutdown.
All of sudden, breweries with large packaging capabilities and effective distribution networks that could ensure that its products made it onto retail shelves ruled. And Stone Brewing is one of those companies.
“Craft beer grew about 20 percent in the SoCal region last year, and Stone Distributing grew about 27 percent, which is outpacing category growth,” Maria Stipp, who took over as Stone’s chief executive in September, told the San Diego Union-Tribune…“When you outperform a category as competitive as craft, you pay attention and put more time and energy against that.”
To support its distribution arm, Stone “has leased a 110,000-square-foot cold storage facility in San Marcos as a hub for delivering kegs, cans and bottles to the region’s restaurants, bars, liquor stores and grocers. Stone Distributing’s current warehouse in Escondido will be converted to raw materials and packaging storage.”
(Stone CEO Maria Stipp)
“Stone Distributing has proven to be a powerhouse for the SoCal craft market,” said Maria Stipp. “We’re doubling down our focus on this part of the business, which has given so much to Stone and the craft beer community.”
“We are thrilled that Stone Brewing is coming back home to San Marcos,” said Mayor Rebecca Jones in a statement. “They opened their original San Marcos location 25 years ago in what is now The Lost Abbey, and we are delighted they are returning to their roots.”
Along with its own beers, Stone distributes for 44 other craft beverage operations throughout the Southern California region. Big and small breweries that includes names like Oskar Blues, Boulevard and Maui Brewing and San Diego powerhouses like Pizza Port, AleSmith and Modern Times.
