Molson Coors Beverage Company said today it will halt production of its Saint Archer brand and sell its San Diego-based brewery and tavern to Kings & Convicts Brewing Co, owner of the Ballast Point brand.
As part of the agreement, Kings & Convicts will take over Saint Archer’s 100,000-barrel-capacity Miramar Brewery and adjacent tavern, as well as its 1,200-square-foot tavern in Leucadia, Calif. Kings & Convicts, based in San Diego and Highwood, Ill. plans to retain members of the operations and retail team at both locations.
Terms were not disclosed.
Molson Coors will retain the rights to the Saint Archer brand, although it will cease packaging and distributing its brands with immediate effect.
“The Saint Archer team has built a distinctive brand that has a very loyal following in Southern California. Unfortunately, the overall business has struggled to grow despite investing significant resources behind its production and marketing,” says Paul Verdu, vice president of Tenth & Blake, the U.S. craft division of Molson Coors. “We will maintain ownership of the Saint Archer brand as we determine the best long-term plan and remain focused on growing our regional breweries that continue to outperform local market competitors.”
Saint Archer was founded in 2013 and acquired in 2015 by Molson Coors .
While Molson Coors invested significant resources in Saint Archer’s production and marketing efforts, including the expansion of the brand beyond its home state and the nationwide launch of a light blonde ale called Saint Archer Gold, the brewery came under significant pressure amid the pandemic in a declining craft market in San Diego. says Verdú.
“We tried to do everything we could to keep the brand going, but it was not economically viable to continue operating,” Verdu says. “That’s not a reflection of how great Saint Archer beer is, or the passion or the efforts of our team in California. The beer is amazing, the brand is amazing, but it was simply faced with a series of challenges that we weren’t.” is not capable of winning”.
The closures of taverns, bars and restaurants in the California market caused by the pandemic particularly affected Saint Archer, he says. On top of that, the brand’s big bet, Saint Archer Gold, which was aimed at health- and wellness-conscious consumers, was thrown against the pandemic, curtailing its ability to build consumer awareness with events, festivals and other sampling opportunities … .
Molson Coors discontinued Saint Archer Gold in July 2020.
“We love this brand and the people who worked on it poured their blood, sweat and tears into it, which makes this even harder to digest,” says Verdu.
The sale, he says, will allow Tenth & Blake to redirect resources to its other craft partners, which are faring better. Molson Coors’ other U.S. craft brands, including Hop Valley Brewing, Terrapin Beer Co, Revolver Brewing and Atwater Brewery, posted growth during the third quarter, Verdu says. And despite a series of challenging years, Leinenkugel’s in 2021 arrested the declines and is poised for growth in 2022.
“Tenth & Blake remains committed to building our handcrafted business,” says Verdu. “We have a healthy portfolio of regional craft brands, led by Leinenkugel’s, which is on the verge of a historic turnaround. We are focused on year 2 of our Hop Valley national expansion and accelerating the growth of Terrapin, Revolver and Atwater in regional markets. .”
