USA, WY: Roadhouse Brewing Co. to acquire Melvin Brewing and its operations

Roadhouse Brewing Co. has signed a purchase agreement to acquire Melvin Brewing and its operations, according to representatives from both brewing companies, Buckrail reported on November 11.

“We’re buying Melvin Brewing Company,” Colby Cox, co-founder and CEO of Roadhouse Brewing Co., said.

While closing of the purchase is imminent, Cox estimates that Roadhouse will own Melvin sometime between now and the end of the year. The price of the acquisition remains confidential.

“We are really excited about it, we’ve been in conversations with Melvin for a while,” said Cox. He added that “[the acquisition] just makes a lot of sense for our company…we love and know their brand very well.”

Cox detailed Roadhouse’s plan to continue Melvin in terms of its brand identity and to hopefully grow and expand the company from where it is today.

“We are going to be expanding the restaurant down [in Alpine] and building out a full kitchen and hopefully adding some more seating.”

Roadhouse Brewing Company was created and is owned by Fine Dining Restaurant Group Owner/Chef Gavin Fine and home-brewer Colby Cox.

Fine Dining Restaurant Group owns and operates six restaurants in Jackson Hole. The two entities are different but share a common owner, Gavin Fine. He commented on the pending acquisition.

While Melvin and Roadhouse will operate independently from one another, they will not run as separate companies and their respective teams will come together with Roadhouse at the helm.

This, Cox says, will open the door for some cool collaborations between the two brewing houses down the road.

“You will probably see substantially more Melvin on tap at the Roadhouse Pub and you’ll also probably see some Roadhouse on tap down at the Alpine Taproom.”

Melvin Brewing’s CEO, Frank Magazine, echoed Cox’s sentiments about the acquisition.

“I’m thrilled,” said Magazine. “Roadhouse was a [company] we had in our sights long ago. They share a lot of culture, geography and outlook on craft beer as we do.”

In July, Business Insider reported that the Alpine, WY-based brewery was searching for a strategic partner to assist in growth initiatives.

“We felt adding a new strategic partner was the change we needed, we decided the best route would be to put ourselves in the market and just see what interest there was,” Magazine said.

For those fearing a Melvin identity loss, fear not.

“They are not touching the brand, they realize the value of the brand, the people and every aspect of our business. They are not going to change anything. Instead, they are going to enhance everything,” Magazine said.

Currently, Melvin’s products sell in 27 states across the U.S, compared to Roadhouse who sells in just seven states. One of the aims of this acquisition is to expand Roadhouse’s products nationwide. Both Cox and Magazine referred to the sale as a major growth opportunity for the companies.

“I think it’s going to be a great ride. We’re ready to get this party started,” Magazine said.

12 November, 2022