Shmaltz Brewing Heading Toward $3 Million Revenue in 2012

Our pal Jeremy Cowan told us the story on the Friday BeerBuzz so it’s great to see the news coming from Businessweek:

The Kosher-certified beer sold out in three weeks at high-end grocery stores in the Bay Area. In 2003, after trying out a few local contract brewers, Cowan struck a deal with Olde Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a subsidiary of storied Mendocino Brewing, to make his brews. (It had extra capacity, and Cowan had enough to pay for 2,800 cases, thanks to a $30,000 cash advance on his credit card.) Olde Saratoga now makes all 15 of Shmaltz’s varieties, which are available in 31 states, as well as Canada, Australia, and Japan. That’s wider distribution than established craft competitors such as Bell’s, Deschutes, and New Belgium. “[The brewmaster] and I collaborate very directly on the flavors of every beer we make, but the manufacturing nitty-gritty details are less romantic to me,” says Cowan, who expects $3million in revenue this year.
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