USA, OR & TX: Ninkasi Brewing to expand in Texas on September 14

Eugene-based Ninkasi Brewing is expanding its reach again, entering the Texas market in September, The Register-Guard reported on July 15.

Ninkasi Brewing will make its debut in Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sept. 14, through a partnership with Dallas-based Andrews.

“North Texas is a rapidly expanding market with a huge population and an ever-growing thirst for craft beer,” Ninkasi Brewing CEO Nikos Ridge said in a prepared statement. “Entering into a growing craft beer market with a team that fuels that growth is an exciting prospect; we feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be working with a craft-focused and innovative partner.”

With the addition of Texas, Ninkasi Brewing will be distributing in 10 states and two Canadian provinces.

“In addition, Ninkasi Brewing does “blast” distributions to several other areas, such as New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., sending out trucks several times a year,” brewery spokeswoman Ali AAsum said.

“Ninkasi Brewing’s selection of its latest market was based on its partnership with Andrews, which has a strong distribution network in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and also claims values that align closely with Ninkasi Brewing’s,” AAsum said.

Andrews cites integrity as its core value, saying it is “at the centre of everything we do, because we believe it is the most essential characteristic of a successful business partnership.”

“Ninkasi Brewing hasn’t ruled out expanding its beer distribution to the rest of Texas,” AAsum said on July 14 but added, “It’s a big state; we’d probably need some people on the ground...we’re testing out Dallas, and seeing how it goes from there.”

“Ninkasi Brewing also hasn’t ruled out expanding to additional regions, including Washington, D.C., where the sporadic distributions of Ninkasi Brewing have been well-received,” AAsum said.

Ninkasi Brewing was founded in 2006 by Ridge, whose background is in finance, and Jamie Floyd, whose background is in brewing. It has expanded rapidly, even during the recent recession, and is now the 36th largest craft brewery in the United States.

Ninkasi Brewing completed a $24 million physical expansion last year at its home base in the Whiteaker area of Eugene.

That expansion increased Ninkasi Brewing’s brewing capacity by more than 40 percent initially, to 160,000 barrels, with the potential to grow to 250,000 barrels over the next 10 to 15 years.

17 July, 2015