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Calicraft acquires Heretic Brewery to retain legacy brand
California-based Calicraft Brewing Co has acquired Heretic Brewery and Distillery in a deal that will see the businesses expand in both production and distribution.
Walnut Creek-brewery Calicraft has revealed it has acquired the Fairfield-based Heretic Brewery and Distillery, which is a Solano County legacy brand.
The move, according to a recent statement from the company, is set to enable Calicraft to increase its brewing capacity and expand its production and distribution, however Heretic will continue to remain unchanged for now, the beer business has confirmed.
The two brands, which are approximately the same size, share a history going back to when Calicraft CEO Blaine Landberg and Heretic founder Jamil Zainasheff were once in the same homebrewing club.
Speaking about the acquisition, Thomas Vo, Calicraft’s marketing director and brewmaster said: “It makes sense to keep a legacy brand going. We’re really focused on preserving Heretic. That doesn’t necessarily change any of our plans either,”
Heretic was founded in 2010 and Calicraft in 2012, however the two breweries share a longtime connection through their founders.
Calicraft is rumoured to have a number of ambitious initiatives in the works and, according to local reports, is planning a major renovation to its Shadelands location as well as looking to open a new restaurant and bar in downtown Walnut Creek in the second quarter of 2025 before expanding to a location in Davis.
Vo explained how acquiring Heretic Brewing has strengthened Calicraft’s supply across its on-trade beer services and supports its planned expansion into cocktails, spirits and wine production.What differences will customers at Heretic see? It will be business as usual, at least at first. Our goal isn’t to change what’s working.”
Vi added: “Eventually, they may expand on beer offerings or add new offerings based on customer feedback. Over time, we hope to listen to consumers and the community to see what we can bring that’s different.”
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