Brewdog
BrewDog Founders James Watt and Martin Dickie were dissatisfied with the state of the UK beer market. So, in April 2007, they decided to start their own brewery on their terms. They built the business from the ground up, leasing a warehouse space in Fraserburgh Scotland, making small batches of “hardcore” craft beer, bottling them by hand, and selling them locally out of the back of a pickup truck. BrewDog scaled rapidly to become the largest craft brewer in the U.K. and a leading craft brewer globally, exporting beer to over 60 countries worldwide.
BrewDog’s initial mission—to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they are—still rings true today and is reflected in both the company’s success and passionate fan base.
BrewDog has proven itself as an innovative leader in both the craft beer category and business finance as one of the pioneers of equity crowdfunding in the UK. In 2009, they launched “Equity for Punks”, which offered anyone the opportunity to buy shares in their company online. BrewDog is an alternative company owned by thousands of people who love craft beer as much as James and Martin do.
Our Partnership
Our interest in BrewDog was piqued by the brand’s potential for growth and its position as a leader in the global craft beer revolution. Specifically, we felt that there was significant opportunity for global expansion. Given our extensive experience in the food and beverage categories, and specifically beer, as well as TSG’s proven success helping brands expand distribution, James and Martin felt we were the right partner to help them take their business to the next level. We also understood that the founders’ have an undeniable passion for and experience in the industry, so our goal was to allow them to stay independent and support them in realizing their vision. We understand that BrewDog’s roots are key to the brand’s past and future success. Our investment enabled BrewDog to protect its independence and continue to celebrate its existing culture.
Strategic Focus
Given our decades-long experience in the consumer industry, we are attuned to the food and beverage category trends around premiumization, increased quality, and product craftsmanship. BrewDog already has an exceptional product, so our focus is helping to create and execute a global expansion plan that gets their products in front of more consumers. We are also working closely with James and Martin on a capital deployment plan and best-in-class go-to-market strategy for BrewDog’s continued expansion and growth. Additionally, we are providing guidance on key senior management hires, as well as the broader organizational structure to lead the company into this next exciting chapter. We are excited to join the BrewDog team on their journey to expand the global craft beer community.
“We chose TSG because of their expertise and their passion for our vision, which made it easy to turn down several other higher offers. We just want to continue making amazing beer, and invest in the two things we care about most; our beer and our people.”
— James Watt, Co-Founder of BrewDog
