Charlotte Independent Brewers Join Forces
Market clarity, education among priorities of more than 20 local breweries
(Charlotte, NC) — More than 20 Charlotte breweries have turned a casual network into a united, membership-driven, dues-paying organization: The Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance.
The group has been meeting informally since at least 2014, says Chris Goulet, CIBA board member and principal owner of Birdsong Brewing Co. The notfor-profit group was finalized in late 2017, with Phil Buchy of Legion Brewing and Ryan Self of The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery joining Goulet on the board of directors.
“Our goal is to work together to promote Charlotte area beers and ciders and educate consumers on the benefits of supporting local brewers,” Goulet says of the group. “Large conglomerates and non-local brewers make strong efforts to mimic local. However, buying those products sends money away from the community and doesn’t support local jobs.”
CIBA members must have their primary production facility in Mecklenburg County, or one of the five surrounding North Carolina counties (Gaston, Lincoln, Iredell, Cabarrus and Union). Membership stands at 23 right now:
Twenty-Six Acres Brewing Co.
Barking Duck Brewing Co.
Birdsong Brewing Co.
Blue Blaze Brewing Co.
Bold Missy Brewery
Cavendish Brewing Co.
The Dreamchaser’s Brewery
Free Range Brewing
GoodRoad CiderWorks
Legion Brewing Co.
Lenny Boy Brewing Co.
NoDa Brewing Co.
The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery
Red Clay Ciderworks
Resident Culture Brewing
Southern Range Brewing
Sugar Creek Brewing Co.
Thirsty Nomad Brewing
Three Spirits Brewery
Triple C Brewing Co.
The Unknown Brewing Co.
Wooden Robot Brewery
York Chester Brewing Co.
“Our members collectively employ more than 600 people, who all live and work in the Charlotte area,” Goulet says. “We want to bring attention to Charlotte-brewed ciders and beers.”
The group was driven to action by the competitive — some might say increasingly crowded — craft beverage marketplace in Charlotte. The Wicked Weed Brewing acquisition by Anheuser-Busch InBev in 2017 helped motivate and coalesce the CIBA movement, Goulet says.
The group will make its public debut with a booth at the Queen City Brewers Festival, Feb. 3 at The Fillmore.
The CIBA target demographic? “Any adult in the greater Charlotte area who is interested in craft beverages,” Goulet says. “We’ve got a website up which will be fleshed out further, we’re working on a point of sale marketing campaign, and loose plans for a CIBA event of some kind.”
MORE ABOUT CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENT BREWERS ALLIANCE
The Charlotte Independent Brewers Alliance exists to promote and protect the interests of independent craft brewers founded in and whose primary manufacturing operations are based in Mecklenburg or its contiguous counties. CIBA’s primary goal is to increase the proportion of locally manufactured beer relative to overall consumption in the region. To achieve this goal CIBA will promote the Charlotte region’s homegrown breweries, educate our consumers and the community, and support positive legislative reform efforts. For more information visit cltbrewed.com.