Brewstock is closing because its current owner no longer wishes to run the store, and has accepted a full-time job elsewhere. A statement regarding the closure can be viewed on Brewstock’s website.

Brewstock is not closing due to business failure. Brewstock has been profitable and is in good financial condition. The co-op team has been provided with Brewstock’s P&L for 2023 and it’s 2022 and 2023 Balance Sheets to confirm this.

The asking price for Brewstock is $60,000. This includes all remaining inventory (malt, hops, tubing, bottles, etc.), fixtures (shelving, refrigerators, bins, grain mill, signage, etc.), as well as intellectual property (URL, website, recipes, logo, brand, Brewstock Fest, etc.).

There are no significant debts or obligations that will be transferred as part of the sale of the business.

Brewstock’s owner has expressed a willingness to negotiate the price with the cooperative and wishes to become an owner himself.

ASAP.

Brewstock's owner has reduced hours to a single day a week. He will be unable to pay rent to his landlord from those limited sales going forward and will eventually face eviction from his current location. He is in discussions with his landlord about concessions, but those will not last forever. His stock will also diminish as long as he remains open, which will require replenishment upon the sale of the business and more upfront funds from the cooperative.

Speed is imperative for the success of this effort. If you're interested in becoming an onwer, commit as soon as you can!

A consumer cooperative is a business owned and operated by its members, who are also its consumers. In the case of the Brewstock cooperative, it is a business owned and operated by Brewstock's consumers and others who choose to invest in keeping a local business open.

An ownership stake in the Brewstock Collective is $1,000.00.

If you’re ready to commit, please send an email to support@savebrewstock.com. We will not collect any money until a deal is finalized with the current owner of Brewstock, so there is no risk in losing your investment.

Your commitment will help us estimate interest and begin negotiations for the business as soon as possible.

Daniel Bryde and Greg Johnson are organizing this effort.

Daniel is a CPA with experience in financial statement audits and real estate investment companies. He has been homebrewing for over 10 years and serves as the Treasurer for Big Easy Homebrewers.

Greg works in advertising and has extensive experience in design, ad campaigns, brand activations, and intellectual property. He currently serves as the President of Big Easy Homebrewers and has been an avid homebrewer for five years.

The Cooperative is not officially affiliated with Big Easy Homebrewers. Our desire is to include as many homebrewers and professional brewers in the region as possible, as we believe the loss of Brewstock would be detrimental to the hobby and the future of craft beer.

As an owner, you'll have a vote in running the business and shaping its future. Owners will also benefit from annual profit sharing when allowable. See below for more info. We are also considering owner discounts on brewing supplies, special events, and free admission to Brewstockfest. Official benefits are TBD and will consider feedback from the owners.

Another major benefit compared to traditional ownership is the longevity of the cooperative model. Rather than one owner or a small group purchasing and running the store for another 3-5 years before selling, the cooperative will ensure that Brewstock stays in the hands of all homebrewers in the region for as long as the hobby is alive!

The owners of the cooperative will vote in a Board of Directors. Anybody can petition to be on the board, which will ideally be comprised of a diverse group of clubs, professional brewers, and other knowledgeable persons to help run the store. The Board will be the major decision-making body for Brewstock after purchase.

Once ownership has changed, the Board will hire one or two knowledgeable employees (ideally local homebrewers) to run the store. These employees will be empowered to make operational decisions with Board consultation when necessary. Initially, volunteers will be needed to run the shop for a short transition period after purchase, but there will be no mandatory volunteering required from owners.

As part of the cooperative model, profits will be either reinvested into the store or allocated on a pro-rata basis back to owners. However, profit sharing will be contingent on future operating costs such as payroll expenses, insurance, etc. While we wholeheartedly believe Brewstock can be profitable enough to share profits, we would like to strongly emphasize that this investment will likely not provide a significant return. The main purpose of this investment is to provide a future for the homebrew hobby and a resource for new homebrewers.

At this time, we are determining the necessary steps to offer additional levels of financing, such as preferred shares, which would provide dividends to preferred shareholders when declared and distributed by the Board. Declaration of dividends would be dependent on the store's profitability in any given year but would provide a higher return than the standard ownership level. We cannot confirm that preferred shares will be available until they have been cleared legally.

We will not be making a firm call for investments until an agreement to purchase is being finalized. If the sale is not completed, all funds will either not be collected or promptly returned to owners.

Unfortunately, if the co-op is not successful in the long run, the majority of investments will be lost. However, given Brewstock's profitability in recent years, we do not believe this outcome is likely. Our success will depend on your continued support of the hobby and Brewstock. We also believe the continued success of Brewstock can open the door to the next generation of homebrewers.

We have established a GoFundMe to cover initial legal and other startup fees. Additionally, we need you to spread the word to other homebrewers and those adjacent to the hobby who might support our endeavor! We will be dependent on you to help us reach others who would like to keep Brewstock’s doors open!

Please consider sending an email to your network, broadcasting on social media, and speaking to others who will want to support the cause through ownership or otherwise. Together, we can pull this off!

It's hard to say about the state of the hobby. Some YouTubers are predicting the death of homebrewing, but we’ve also seen articles suggesting that interest in homebrewing runs counter to the saturation of the craft brewery market. No one can deny the downturn in craft beer right now, so that itself may propel interest in homebrewing again as more breweries continue to close or as their prices become unattainable. One thing that is undeniable: it will be MUCH harder to begin homebrewing without a local homebrew shop.