Drake’s Brewing of San Leandro, California, announced that they are partnering with Central Coast California brewery, Figueroa Mountain Brewing, which is headquartered in Buellton, to form a joint venture called “West Coast Craft” (WCC). Drake’s Brewing CEO John Martin and Figueroa Mountain Brewing CEO Jaime Dietenhofer are referring to the new entity as a strategic partnership and as a new beer and beverage collaboration. The “joint venture is designed to support long-term brand sustainability, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen independent craft beer across the state.” According to the Brewers Association definition and Circana data (which collects data on beer sales), the combined brands will establish WCC as one of the top three independent craft beer producers in California.

I spoke to Drake’s co-owner John Martin last night, and he emphasized this was a way to help both breweries do better in an increasingly challenging and difficult market. The two companies will remain independent but will share resources, brewing facilities, and their expertise and experience. Expect to see more Figueroa Mountain beer in the Bay Area and likewise be able to find more Drake’s and Bear Republic beer in Central and Southern California.

Here’s more from the press release:

“Establishing a strong and compelling brand partnership was important to both Jaime and me, so discerning the right fit to ensure quality, consistency, and the continued focus of serving our longstanding communities was critical in our decision to work together” said John Martin, Co-Owner and CEO of Drake’s Brewing Company. “Combining Drake’s strong distribution partners in Northern California with Figueroa Mountain’s reach in Southern California and the Central Coast made sense, with the added opportunity to grow each other’s brands outside of their original strongholds.”

Jaime Dietenhofer, CEO of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, added, “beyond bringing together top-notch California regional brands, we were delighted to find immediate alignment on company culture, dedication to quality, and a shared approach to measured, deliberate brand growth. This partnership positions both companies for long-term success while staying true to what made us successful in the first place.”

Under the WCC partnership, all brands will remain independent when it comes to marketing, branding, and innovation. There is no change in ownership of Drake’s Brewing or Figueroa Mountain Brewing, and all beers will continue to be brewed to the same recipes, quality standards, and specifications consumers expect.

Leveraging efficiency and capacity, production will be shifted between breweries for best fit. Figueroa Mountain’s Buellton facility will handle most core brand production, while Drake’s San Leandro brewery will focus on innovation, including limited releases and alternative beverages, along with NorCal draft production and some contract brewing. All Drake’s & Figueroa Mountain retail locations and community-focused activities will remain unchanged and continue to be owned and managed by their respective breweries.

“Our brewing teams have worked closely together to ensure seamless continuity,” said Roy Kirkorian, Co-Owner of Drake’s Brewing Company. “This is an operational shift, not a brand shift. The beer in your glass remains the beer you love.”

The lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the trend of many people drinking less overall, have pushed a number of craft breweries to close recently. New data recently released indicates that for the second straight year, more breweries closed than opened across the U.S.

It’s great to see breweries getting creative and finding ways to keep making great beer.

About the two companies.

Drake’s Brewing originally was founded as Lind Brewing in 1989 by Roger Lind. He sold the brewery to a local coffee company in 1998 and they changed the name to Drake’s, which had been a name used for many of the beers. In 2008, John Martin and Roy Kirkorian bought the brewery. Martin, along with his brother Reid Martin, also started Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, one of the earliest brewpubs in the country when it opened in 1986. After taking the reins, Martin and Kirkorian opened Drake’s Barrel House in 2011, its brewery tasting room and a few years later, in 2016, opened Drake’s Dealership, a beer garden and restaurant in downtown Oakland at the site of a former Dodge automobile dealership. In 2018, they opened another satellite location in West Sacramento known as The Barn. In 2023, they also acquired Bear Republic Brewing.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing was founded in 2010 by father and son Jim and Jaime Dietenhofer in Buellton, California. Known for its award-winning beers, Figueroa Mountain brews true-to-style ales and lagers, with a portfolio that includes flagship beers Hoppy Poppy IPA, Lizard’s Mouth Imperial IPA, Point Conception IPA, and the Danish Red Lager. The brewery has won 35 GABF medals since they opened and holds the record with 15 consecutive years of winning a GABF medal. Figueroa Mountain currently has four locations, in Buellton, Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, and Westlake Village. Buellton is the home of their main manufacturing. Jim Dietenhofer passed away in 2019, and his son Jaime Dietenhofer continues to run the family-owned company as CEO.