R. Shea Brewing founder Ron Shea issued a dire plea about the future of his brewery in Akron. Unless needed funding comes in soon, he may have to close. Here’s why.
R. Shea Brewing founder Ron Shea issued a dire plea about the future of his brewery in Akron. Unless needed funding comes in soon, he may have to close.R. Shea has two locations: The original, at 1662 Merriman Road, opened in 2015. Shea expanded with a cavernous atrium-style renovated warehouse location five miles to the south at 520 S. Main St., in downtown Akron.
“Before Covid, my principal and interest payment for this buildout was about 22, 23 thousand,” he said. “It’s now 30 thousand a month.” The economic tentacles zapping the craft-brewing industry are contradictory. It’s healthy in that Ohio has more than 420 breweries, ranking it in the top 10 in the country for states with the most breweries. The majority of those have opened in the last decade.. Sales growth is slowing. Non-drinkers are embracing mocktails and the like. Other beverages – hard seltzers and ready-to-drink cocktails – have nudged their way into the market.
“We’re going to be down again next year in this craft-beer market. It’s just where and how far,” he said. R. Shea, which distributes within Ohio only, took a 30 percent cut in distribution.“Going into this, hiring a kitchen employee was $12 to $14 with some experience. Now, it’s $18 plus with no experience,” Shea said. “That’s a big component of our payroll - our kitchen. And when you’re hiring people in to that, you’ve got to bump the managers up above them.
Adding to the marketplace challenge, the OCBA said, is a 50-year-old franchise law that locks breweries into contracts with wholesalers, allowing for little recourse for breweries “to hold an underperforming wholesaler accountable.” And inflationary and other pressures have sliced away at consumer spending budgets, leading to declines in on-premise food and beverage purchases.
Shea would like to expand distribution for his brewery, whose crowdfunding deadline is the end of the year.
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