The Eastward Expansion of Stone Brewing Co.

If you love craft beer, then you’ve probably tossed back a bottle or two of Stone Brewing Co.‘s IPA and Porter. The #10 largest craft brewery in the nation, Stone generates $185 million in annual sales and employs more than 900 people. Why did Stone decide to open its East Coast plant in Richmond?

Because the beer has gotten so popular around the country that the cost of shipping it caused the company to set up a second manufacturing plant in the mid-Atlantic. In January 2014, Stone’s C-team put out a bid — and the competition to woo the brewery turned out to be steep. Proposals were submitted from 250 communities from 20 states, but when it came down to the final three cities, Richmond, VA, sealed the deal.

Here’s what’s in it for Richmond:

• Starting this year, Stone will begin to invest $74 million to construct a production brewery, packaging hall, destination restaurant, gardens, retail store, and administrative offices in Richmond.
• Stone has been listed 10 times on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies.
• Stone was called the “All-Time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine — twice.
• It is also the first American craft brewer to independently own and operate facilities in Berlin.

In this podcast interview, we interview two of Stone’s top leaders, COO Pat Tiernan and CFO Craig Spitz. They were in the River City to meet with Richmond Economic Development COO Jane Ferrara, the exec who led the charge to bring Stone to town. You’ll learn:

1. What made Richmond stand out from the 250 other cities
2. What the big brewer has in store for 2015 and beyond
3. Why so many people love beer — and why Stone’s marketshare is growing
4. How the other craft brewers in town felt about Stone moving in.

And more!

Listen to the entire podcast now!

And click here to read more about Ferrara’s coup in the May 2015 issue of Be Inkandescent magazine.