Fans of Mayflower Brewing Company’s offerings on tap and in cans can rejoice.
Owner Drew Brosseau said Friday that he believes he has found a way to save the Plymouth brewery he founded 17 years ago. But the path forward will come with some pain in the form of layoffs, and Brosseau could still end up selling the company to another brewer.
He made the announcement of the distribution deal in a post on Mayflower’s Facebook page.
“As we celebrate our 17th anniversary this month, we are happy to announce that Mayflower Brewing will continue to brew beer and thrive for years to come,” he wrote.
Brosseau said he has found a new distributor for his beer in Eastern Massachusetts, Sheehan Family Companies, beginning Jan. 26. Mayflower previously distributed its own beers in Eastern Massachusetts.
He told the Independent in an interview Friday that Sheehan already distributes the company’s beer in Western Massachusetts. This is an extension of that arrangement. He did not disclose terms of the deal.
Outsourcing distribution was the crucial first step in keeping the brewery from closing its doors. The move, he said is “good news and bad news.”
Brosseau said Sheehan is a strong partner that can help promote Mayflower’s brand. But the deal means laying off some of Mayflower’s sales and distribution staff to cut expenses.
“We’re working hard to make sure we get them placed,” he said.
Brosseau did not say how many workers will lose their jobs.
RocketReach, a website that connects businesses with each other, reported that Mayflower has 14 employees and annual revenue of about $5 million.) It’s unclear whether those numbers are current.
The brewery makes and packages its beer in a 9,000-square-foot facility in the Industrial Park, where it also operates a taproom, a retail store, and a beer garden.
The next step, Brosseau said, is to shore up production so that Mayflower is profitable. He said Mayflower beers will continue to be made at the brewery.
But whether the business is sold to another brewer remains “to be determined,” he said without elaborating.
Friday’s announcement comes four days after Brosseau told the Independent he was trying to keep his brewery going despite an earlier message to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild that he would have to end production at the end of January.
Supporters greeted the news enthusiastically on Facebook.
“Love isn’t a strong enough reaction for this post,” said one follower. “I’m thrilled you’ve found a way forward and I’m looking forward to many more pints, flights, cans, and tasters in your wonderful taproom.”
“Phew – best news today,” said another poster.
Mayflower’s woes come amid a broader downturn in the craft beer industry nationwide. The reasons include market oversaturation, a decline in alcohol consumption – especially among younger people – and the rising popularity of marijuana products such as edibles.
Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, lauded Brosseau and his company, said Massachusetts has 236 breweries. But the industry is no longer growing here. Last year, 17 breweries opened and 17 closed statewide.
Brosseau said Mayflower’s tap room and seasonal beer garden in the Plymouth Industrial Park will remain open, and the beer truck on the village green in the Pinehills will return.
Mayflower, which promotes itself as “America’s hometown brewery”, is the oldest and by the far the biggest of Plymouth’s seven breweries, which include Vitamin Sea, Untold Brewing, Second Wind, IndieFerm, Llama Nama, and Sour not Sorry.
And despite the business struggles, it’s not ready to cede that top position.
“We’ll continue the fight,” Brosseau said.
Fred Thys can be reached at fred@plymouthindependent.org.