Founder’s Brewing grows revenue 121% and adds 48 jobs, plans expansion and 12 more jobs

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By: Deborah Johnson Wood

The last 16 months have been a whirlwind of activity for Grand Rapids’ Founder’s Brewing. The company moved its taproom and brewery to much larger digs, boosted capacity from 5,000 barrels a year to 23,000, added 48 employees and increased revenue a forehead-slapping 121 percent to $4.1 million.

Nearly as amazing is the projected growth. Company officials predict an increase in revenue to $7.5 million and an addition of about 12 jobs for this year. Next year the brewer may increase production capacity by 50 percent.

“People are drinking beer, which is a good thing for us,” says Mike Stevens with a chuckle. Stevens and Dave Engbers founded the brewery in 1997.

“Look at where the economy’s at,” he adds. “With the whole buy American, buy local thing, people are starting to realize some of the craft brewers are making excellent products. Domestics have been stagnant for several years and imports are declining. Craft beer’s been growing in double digits, and in 2009, it’ll grow 7 to 8 percent.”

The additional jobs at Founder’s caused another first for the company: the formation of individual departments. Production now operates two shifts with several new manufacturing employees; there’s a director of sales, accounting positions, three assistant manager positions, and numerous servers and kitchen employees.

“When we moved, I quickly learned we were growing so fast we had to departmentalize the business,” Stevens says. “That was a big shift. We created sales, marketing, retail operations and brewing operations. The heads of all those areas except brewing operations are all new hires.”

Source: Mike Stevens, Founder’s Brewing

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at deborah@rapidgrowthmedia.com.