• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Wisconsin’s Sprecher Brewing sells to investor group, former owner touts importance of staying local in sale

February 3, 2020Chris Crowell

Sprecher Brewing

A group of Milwaukee-based investors and Sprecher fans led by Sharad Chadha have purchased Sprecher Brewing Co. from its Founder and CEO Randy Sprecher. Sprecher owns and operates a tasting room and visitor center in Glendale, Wis.

Sharad Chadha, a former executive at GE Healthcare, Samsung Electronics, ABB and Electrolux, will be the chief executive officer of Sprecher Brewing.  Sprecher will continue as an investor with the new ownership group.  

Asked why he decided to sell after 35 years, Sprecher said: “Sharad’s offer presented the ideal opportunity. It was important to me that Sprecher stay locally owned. This has been my life’s passion for decades, and I want to see the company thrive. With this talented and experienced group, I’m sure it will.”

“It is my goal to make Sprecher the craft beverage icon of America,” Chadha stated. “Much like Milwaukee, Sprecher Brewery is a little known gem with a great future ahead of it. Sprecher not only has a diverse portfolio — craft beer, soda, cider, hard seltzer and sparkling water — it also has the best tasting products in the industry. We want to capitalize on what Randy built and share these amazing beverages with as many people as possible. Sprecher Root Beer is a craft beverage icon, and we have the potential to significantly grow the company.” 

Others in the new ownership group include well known Milwaukee entrepreneurs and advisors with significant experience in the consumer-packaged goods and beer industries. Andy Nunemaker will serve as chairman of the board; Peter Skanavis will be on the board. Industry veteran Jim Kanter will be part of the investor group and the company leadership team. Angel investors include Silicon Pastures. Commerce State Bank funded the debt, and the investors funded significant equity to make the purchase happen.

In 1985, Sprecher Brewing established itself as Milwaukee’s first craft brewery since Prohibition and has racked up a ton of national and international awards since, including the 2004 Great American Beer Festival Small Brewing Company of the Year. Sprecher produces more than 15 beer styles and nine craft sodas. Sprecher is best known for its most popular beverage, non-alcoholic Sprecher Root Beer.

Montauk Creatives1
Tilray’s year-end tradition continues, buys Montauk Brewing
NCBCGARF-JAWN-of-the-Dead-1
Neshaminy Creek resurrects a style with George A. Romero foundation and more beers to know this week
Strategic Partnership Handshake
Harpoon parent company buys Long Trail Brewing brands
brooklyn brewery pilsner
Brooklyn Brewery reformulates its Pilsner and more beers to know this week

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lobster says

    February 4, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    @sprecherbrewery Long live Sprecher! 👍🏼🍻

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Caius Farm Brewery opens in Branford, Conn.
  • Colorado’s Resolute Brewing shares its 2022 year in review (rebrands and invests in local malt)
  • 4 steps to understanding the filtration process in craft beer
  • Beyond beer: Examples of craft breweries exploring canned cocktails

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • 4 steps to understanding the filtration process in craft beer
    March 20, 2023
  • newbelgium_2023_wildnectar-shopping-basket_family_IMG_2Beyond beer: Examples of craft breweries exploring canned cocktails
    March 16, 2023
  • brooklyn 35 featureBrooklyn Lager turns 35 and more beers to know this week
    March 14, 2023
  • Backwoods Brewing to open a 19-acre resort called Party Acres in the Columbia River gorge this May
    March 13, 2023
  • Distribution update: NYC’s Alewife Brewing now sells in eastern Pennsylvania + news from Maui, Urban South and more
    March 13, 2023
  • Years in planning: Flix Brewhouse will open a nine-screen luxury theater and brewery in Mansfield, Texas, this fall
    March 9, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC