![]() ![]() Vistage members “care about each other and each other’s success,” he says. In addition to asking his group for advice on financial, legal and operations issues, he turned to Vistage speakers and the peer network for business guidance. ![]() Throughout this process, Kenary used his Vistage group as a sounding board. The team of employees behind Harpoon Brewery This was an unusual move in his industry only a handful of breweries have adopted private ownership in lieu of selling out to big guys like Budweiser or Heineken - and even fewer with such a high percentage employee ownership. To that end, Kenary had to structure and complete a buy-out transaction with Doyle before giving 48 percent of the company to its employees. During these times of transition, Kenary turned to his Vistage group for insight and advice.įor example, in 2014, Kenary and co-owner Rich Doyle decided that they would make Harpoon an employee-owned company. “We’ve always been the tiny guys who have targets on our backs, whether it was the big brewers questioning what we were trying to do early on, or local microbreweries changing the landscape of our competition.” The Vistage sounding boardĭespite the constants of high-quality production, good beer and solid relationships, Harpoon has experienced hiccups along the way. Then in the ’90s, the term changed to “craft beer,” which gave the brewery an opportunity to change how it presented itself.Įven today, Kenary and his team “constantly adjust and hone our brand” to remain competitive. The handle is about 15' tall and has Harpoon I.P.A. In the late 1980s, no one really knew what microbrewed beer was. Marketing and sales has been crucial to Harpoon’s success since its inception, Kenary says. Whether it’s tap-handle space in a bar or cooler space in a grocery store, it is fiercely competitive.” Harpoon was the first brewery in New England to brew an India Pale Ale. “We’re talking about a product that is dependent on shelf life and space. “I would say this market is unprecedentedly competitive,” he explains. Despite this growth in numbers, Kenary says that it’s the bars and stores carrying the product - as opposed to the breweries themselves - that have heightened the competition most. Today, there are more than 4,000 nationwide. “After those first five years in business - and learning about the business - we felt we were on the right trajectory and solidly established for the long haul.” Marketing in a competitive marketĪccording to Kenary, when Harpoon made its debut, there were fewer than 50 breweries in the United States. “Other than a few years in the late ’90s, it has really been a positive environment for craft beer,” says Kenary. He and his two business partners embarked on the microbrew industry just before it started growing, and that gave the team an early edge in the market. While the brewery’s ownership, processes and beer offerings have changed since then, Harpoon Oktoberfest has remained a constant (and constantly growing) affair.ĭan Kenary, Harpoon’s CEO and one of its three founders, acknowledges the role of timing in the longevity of a microbrewery business. The celebration, which the founders thought might serve as a farewell party, turned into a huge event that solidified Harpoon’s place among Boston’s then-emerging beer scene. Devils Backbone Adventure Pack Hop PackĪrchives Archives Categories Categories Tags 21st Amendment Allagash Brewing Company Anchor Brewing Company Beer News Belgium Bells Brewery Boston Beer Company Brew Pub California Canada Clipper City Brewing Company Colorado Delaware Dogfish Head Brewery Dogfish Head Craft Brewery DuClaw Brewing Company Evolution Craft Brewing Company Florida Flying Dog Brewery Fordham Brewing Company Founders Brewing Company Germany Goose Island Beer Company Gordon Biersch Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company Harpoon Brewery Heavy Seas Beer Illinois Ireland Kitsock Lagunitas Brewing Company Long Trail Brewing Company Lost Rhino Brewing Company Magic Hat Brewing Company Magruder's Maine Maryland Massachusetts Matt Brewing Company Michigan Missouri Montana New Belgium Brewing New England Beer Vacation New York North Carolina Ohio Old Dominion Brewing Company Oliver Brewery Ontario Oregon Pennsylvania RAW Brewing Rock Bottom Rogue Brewery Ruddy Duck Brewery and Grill Sam Adams Sampler Saranac Schlafly Sea Dog Brewing Company Shipyard Brewing Company Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Southern Tier Brewing Company Spring Break 2013 Starr Hill Brewery Troegs Brewing Company Vermont Victory Brewing Company Virginia Washington D.C.In 1990, four years after opening its doors, Boston’s Harpoon Brewery celebrated its first Harpoon Oktoberfest, despite early growing pains and uncertainty about the brewery’s future.
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