“They had started downsizing their sales force,” he added. ”Īccording to Beard, Micro Man had been rumored to be shopping its brand rights for about eight months after losing the right to distribute international brands such as Delirium and Hofbraü. “Right now, we’re putting anywhere between 20 and 40 barrels through distribution. “We’ve been growing our distribution something like 70 percent year-over-year for the past two years, so it was a matter of time before we started to outgrow Micro Man in the first place,” he added. After two years of selling beer through Micro Man, 81 Bay is positioned better and will be “getting in their focus for getting on a lot of taps.” president Michael Beard told Brewbound that Cavalier is “a fantastic fit” for the Tampa-based craft brewery. At its peak, Florida was a top three state state for the company, and Lampe said he believes Cavalier could help the brewery reaccelerate sales down south. Weyerbacher chief operating officer Josh Lampe told Brewbound that Micro Man had sold the Pennsylvania craft brewery’s beer for about a decade, but sales had dropped off in the last couple of years. Wakefield, among others.īrewbound spoke to several beer suppliers whose brands were acquired in the deal, and they expressed excitement about the who the prospect of working with Cavalier. Cavalier’s Florida portfolio includes a number of popular craft beer brands such as Stone Brewing, Left Hand Brewing, Bell’s Brewery, and J. Shireman said 42 wholesalers had consolidated during a period dating back to mid-2016.Ĭavalier - which has distribution outposts in Ohio and Indiana - operates its Florida distribution services out of locations in Lakeland and Miami. During the California Craft Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Summit in September, Arlington Capital Partners director J.B. About 20 wholesalers have consolidated in 2018, according to National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones. Micro Man also sold numerous Belgian and German import labels.Ĭavalier’s acquisition of the Micro Man portfolio comes as an increasing number of larger distribution companies have consolidated operations in recent years. Lucie, Florida) and Weyerbacher (Easton, Pennsylvania), among others. (Tampa, Florida), Green Man (Asheville, North Carolina), Bear Republic (Cloverdale, California), Lost Coast (Eureka, California), Thomas Creek (Greenville, South Carolina), Hop Life (Port St. She declined to provide a list of suppliers, however, multiple former Micro Man beer brands told Brewbound that list includes 81 Bay Brew Co. Micro Man, an independent craft and import beer wholesaler based in Oldsmar, did not return a request for comment.Ĭavalier spokeswoman Amy Browns Taylor confirmed to Brewbound that the company began selling the former Micro Man portfolio of brands on October 22. “We look forward to a smooth transition for the customers and suppliers,” Fisher added in his letter. ![]() After looking at more than 30 locations around Tampa Bay, they decided on renovating 17,000 square feet of space at the corner of W Gandy Boulevard and S Manhattan Avenue, which now houses their brewery and taproom.“Cavalier believes that these acquisitions will enhance our entire portfolio and continue to elevate better beer throughout Florida, and in turn, create additional opportunities for long-term growth for you and the category,” he wrote. "I saw it as very underdeveloped, not overdeveloped, coming from the California market," said Beard, the president.īowman, director of operations, and Beard teamed up with Cottle, Beard's Delta Tau Delta fraternity brother from Florida State University. Due to an oversaturated market and high costs, the two looked at the Tampa market. Once they realized that home brewing was becoming more than hobby, they considered opening up a brewery in San Diego. While living in San Diego for five years, Beard and Bowman started a growler club in their neighborhood with their homebrewed beer. Three dimensional foam art, an enormous wall mural, and interactive projector art greet visitors to the atypical taproom of the brewery.Ĭottle joined Florida natives and friends Michael Beard and Shawn Bowman in starting the brewery and holding an official grand opening in August, making it the first microbrewery in South Tampa. The relationship will be one of the keys if 81Bay is to succeed in Florida's most competitive market.Ī lager is not the only unexpected offering at 81Bay Brewing. "It's given us an opportunity as a distributor." ![]() "We were searching for a local brewery because we really wanted to add something to the portfolio locally," said Ian McCarthy, president of Micro Man.
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