Parent Company of Oyster City Brewing Co. to Acquire Catawba Valley Brewing Co

October 7, 2021 (Apalachicola, FL, Morganton, NC, & Charleston, SC) – Made By The Water, LLC (MBTW), a portfolio company of Wiregrass Equity Partners and owner/operator of Oyster City Brewing Company, has reached an agreement to acquire North Carolina based Catawba Valley Brewing Company (CVBC) producer of Catawba, Palmetto, and Twisp branded craft beverages.

CVBC was founded by Billy, Jetta, and Scott Pyatt in 1999, and they have grown it to include 5 brewing locations, 6 tasting rooms, and distribution into 5 states today. “We love the craft brewing industry and our 130 Catawba-family coworkers. But one day you wake up and you’re sixty years old”, said Billy Pyatt, older brother and CEO of Catawba, “You realize it’s time we knock some things off our bucket list. Jetta, Scott, and I are extremely fortunate to have met the Wiregrass folks. Their business model, a great mix of tasting room retail and wholesale sales, almost exactly mirrors ours. They value our people, markets, customers, and most of all, our culture. While Scott intends to stay aboard awhile, Jetta and I know we are leaving CVBC in great hands.”

“Made By The Water and Oyster City Brewing Company, were founded on the principles of local engagement, great beer, and most importantly the assembly of inspirational people thirsty to make an impact. Over the last several years we’ve proudly grown Oyster City Brewing Company from a humble corner taproom to an entrenched regional brewery with locations and influence across the Gulf Coast of Florida, and Alabama.”, says Alexi Sekmakas, CEO of Made By The Water. “As we unify, we seek to continue developing on the incredible vision of Catawba and Palmetto Brewing to form a Southeastern craft beer family that is authentically deep in the shallows.”

ABOUT CATAWBA VALLEY BREWING COMPANY
Founded by Western North Carolina’s Pyatt family in 1999, Catawba Valley Brewing Co. produces and markets Catawba and Palmetto craft beers and Twisp Southern Hard Seltzer. Included in this acquisition, Catawba operates breweries and retail tasting rooms in Asheville, Charlotte, Morganton, and Wilmington, NC, and in Charleston, SC. Catawba’s products are currently distributed in NC, SC, TN, AL, and GA, but of course, Catawba welcomes you to stop into any of their tasting rooms and get to know them better!

ABOUT MADE BY THE WATER
Made By The Water will wholly own the family of craft breweries. Darin Phillips, Managing Partner of Wiregrass Equity Partners commented, “We are thrilled to bring Catawba, Palmetto, and Twisp into our family of breweries and brands. Our cultures are aligned beautifully – based on community, partnership, local heritage, and superior beers.”

Terms of the acquisition are not disclosed.
ABOUT WIREGRASS EQUITY PARTNERS
Wiregrass Equity Partners is a boutique private equity firm headquartered in Montgomery, AL. They are more than just a group of professionals investing in growth-oriented companies. They wear the shoes of the business owners with whom they partner. Having built companies from nothing more than an idea to valuations exceeding $10 billion, their extensive experience in operations, investment banking, executive level management, human resources, mergers and acquisitions, accounting, and finance creates a unique and robust collaboration of expertise that is readily
available for their partners.