A new Mass. beer is headed for Maine shelves, and the brewery explains why
Courtesy / Exhibit 'A' via Facebook
Exhibit 'A' is planning distribution in southern Maine of craft brews including the Cat's Meow.
Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Co., a craft microbrewery in Framingham, Mass., is eyeing expansion into Maine.
The company, which launched in 2016, in May signed a deal with Westbrook-based Craft Maine Distributors to sell Exhibit ‘A’ beer in the Portland area and elsewhere in the southern part of the state. Besides Massachusetts, the brewery already distributes in Rhode Island, Vermont and the New York City region.
The move into Maine markets comes after Exhibit ‘A’ grew production 58% in 2019 to roughly 5,600 barrels, industry blog Mass Brew Bros. reported Wednesday.
That output placed Exhibit ‘A’ No. 23 among Massachusetts craft brewers in a ranking by volume — and is comparable to the size of Bangor-based Geaghan Bros. Brewing Co., which ranked No. 8 among Maine brewers in the 2020 Mainebiz Book of Lists.
Exhibit ‘A’ General Manager Kelsey Roth recently spoke with the Worcester Business Journal, a sister publication of Mainebiz, about how the pandemic has impacted business and why Maine is the best next step for the brewery.
Worcester Business Journal: What spurred the decision to expand to Maine, and what will Exhibit A’s Maine offerings consist of?
Kelsey Roth: As we grow and increase our production, it gives us a chance to explore new markets. Maine has a great craft beer scene, and we are very excited to see our beers alongside so many other great beers and pouring on draft in our favorite bars and restaurants. We will be focusing on our core beers: Goody Two Shoes Kölsch, the Cat's Meow IPA, Hair Raiser DIPA and Briefcase Porter. We expect to ship some specialty beers there on occasion as well.
WBJ: What does the expansion mean for Exhibit 'A' and its customers?
KR: Well, the best part is you'll be able to find our beer in more places. We all love visiting Maine whenever we can, so on a personal level we are thrilled to see our beer up there. And we are excited to be able to introduce our beers to people who may never had a chance to get it before. On a business level, being able to produce more means we are able to hire more people. Our production team is now up to seven people, and we're keeping them all pretty busy.
WBJ: How has the pandemic shutdown impacted business?
KR: The biggest hit we are seeing is the loss of taproom business and the loss of draft accounts like bars and restaurants. While we have been able to shift some of that business to can sales, both from the taproom and wholesale, it means our costs go up significantly as well. However, we are grateful we are still able to come to work each day.
WBJ: Have there been any standout lessons learned from the pandemic’s impact on sales or operations?
KR: The biggest lesson we learned is all companies, no matter the size, need to be agile and be able to shift quickly. The companies that are going to come out on the other side of this are the ones that have been able to adapt, be creative with solutions, and don't have too many eggs in one basket. We feel our position of having a healthy balance of taproom business mixed with wholesale business is what allowed us to pivot quickly to adapt to a drastic and sudden change in the market.
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