Postmark Brewing becomes latest under Craft Collective umbrella
Today, Postmark Brewing of Vancouver BC released a statement indicating that it has become the latest East Vancouver brewery to step underneath the shelter of a growing umbrella on Vancouver’s Vernon Drive.
Craft Collective Beerworks, formerly Factory Brewing, has acquired the Postmark Brewing brand in a deal that will see Postmark ownership remain on board to manage the physical brewery and drive the marketing strategy. Presumably the benefit to former ownership in this deal is relief from the burden of responsibility for production and sales of the majority of their packaged product to the vast market outside their own brewery.
It’s not easy making a small brewery work in a crowded market, as evidenced by the announcement by fellow Craft Collective client Doan’s Craft Brewing in August. Like Postmark, Doan’s was engaged with Craft Collective to produce packaged product (in the rapidly-becoming-ubiquitous tall can format that Factory/CCB specializes in). Making money in contract brewing requires splitting a profit between two parties, and it seem likely that it became an attractive proposition to go beyond simply outsourcing this part of the business.
For Postmark fans, like Doan’s fans, the upside is the survival of the brand they’re fond of in what is clearly becoming a new phase in BC brewing. It seems likely from the press release that the Railtown brick-and-mortar outlet is going to be with us for some time to come. The question remains: how many other operators are putting on a brave face in a province approaching a population of 175 breweries?
PRESS RELEASE:
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