NEWPORT – Newport Craft Brewing & Distilling Co. has acquired Radiant Pig Beer Co., based in New York City, the company announced Monday.
Radiant Pig founder and Master Brewer Rob Pihl will take an equity stake in Newport Craft Brewing and will join the company as brewmaster and brand ambassador. Radiant Pig was founded in 2013.
Newport Craft said that it already had Radiant Pig beers “in the tank” and that production and distribution of the company’s beers will continue without interruption.
Newport Craft said the acquisition is part of a plan to expand its production to 10,000 barrels by the end of 2020 and to 25,000 barrels by 2022.
Newport Craft also said that it is currently in the process of doubling its brewing and distilling capacity in its Newport location, with the project expected to break ground this summer and last an estimated 12 months. The expansion will allow the company to separate its brewing and distilling operations.
“I am thrilled to welcome Rob and Radiant Pig to the Newport Craft family,” said Newport Craft CEO Brendan O’Donnell. “The immediate contributions Rob will make as a partner and creative leader will add to Newport Craft’s reputation and trajectory as an authentic craft brewer and distiller. The acquisition of Radiant Pig and the buildout of the company’s new Newport, R.I., facility is just the company’s next evolutionary stage of the strategic plan we charted three years ago.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Newport Craft’s product line now includes 26 beers and more than 10 craft spirits and cocktail labels, it said. It currently distributes to six states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maine and Pennsylvania.
It is also exploring opening a tasting room in the New York City area market.
The company also noted Monday that since 2017, when O’Donnell took over as CEO of the company, it has more than tripled its workforce and doubled top-line revenue.
