The Netherlands & USA: Heineken buys remaining 50% of Lagunitas Brewing

Lagunitas Brewing is selling its remaining 50 percent stake to Heineken International, which will place the California and Chicago-based brewery under full control of the world’s second-largest beer company. Heineken first bought half of Lagunitas in September 2015, the Chicago Tribune reported on May 4.

As a result of the deal, Lagunitas will become Heineken’s lead global craft brand, while its founder and executive chairman, Tony Magee, will take on a newly created role as global craft director for the Dutch company. Heineken owns more than 160 breweries worldwide.

“We’ll look to develop meaningful craft strategies and work with Heineken’s companies around the world to develop and deploy craft — good craft brands in the Lagunitas model,” Magee said.

Magee announced the deal to employees in Petaluma, Calif., on May 4 and to customers in a 1,948-word post on Tumblr, which is how he also announced the first sale.

“Some who don’t fully understand it all may say it is selling out,” Magee wrote. “Truth is that we did then, and are now ‘buying in.’ Money has value and equity has value too. I am using Lagunitas’ equity to buy deeper into an organization that will help us go farther more quickly than we could have on our own. You have to imagine Jonah standing on the gunnel of the storm-tossed ship and intentionally leaping into the mouth of the whale to embrace the transformation and emerge to become his own destiny.”

04 May, 2017