Describing it as a strategic move intended to “redefine contract beverage brewing,” Stratford-based Two Roads Brewing announced Thursday that it is combining with two Pennsylvania-based brewers to form a new company.
The company, called B3 Beverage Co., will include Two Roads as well as Bald Birds Brewing Co. of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, and Yards Brewing Co. based in Philadelphia.
The new manufacturing collective will offer contract production services for beverage brands in the U.S. and internationally, the three entities said in a joint news release.
“Together, the founding leadership bring a combined, unprecedented 100+ years of brewing experience to contract the very best beer and beverages made on the East Coast and the I-95 corridor,” the companies said.
Under the agreement, the leadership teams of all three breweries will remain in place, “continuing to operate their taprooms and nurture in-house brands while collaborating under the B3 Beverage Co. umbrella to expand contract capabilities and bolster innovation,” the companies said.
The combination is intended to meet increasing demand for scalable contract manufacturing. B3 serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands including beer, ready to drink (RTD), seltzer, soda, canned cocktails and other beverages categories.
Bald Birds’ longtime focus has been contract brewing and distilling, with a 150,000-square-foot facility that manufactures more than 1 million cases of beer, RTDs and non-alcoholic beverages annually.
Two Roads, based at 1700 Stratford Ave. in Stratford, has experience across multiple styles and is also non-alcoholic brewer.
Yards is a 30-year mainstay known for its classic ales and community presence, while also producing for several well-known East Coast brands through longstanding contract relationships.
“The opportunity to share resources and best practices with seasoned, growth-oriented, quality-obsessed brewers we‘ve long admired comes at the perfect time, with our mutual contract manufacturing businesses poised to accelerate,” said Brad Hittle, CEO of Two Roads. “B3 enables us to serve and grow our contract customers the right way, while maintaining the needed focus on our strong brands, distributor relationships, and core geographies, with minimal territorial overlap.”
