$4.3 Million Company Gets Noticed by National Media and American Express Corporation with Features in Magazines and Television Commercials
It’s the “Little Brewery That Could.” What started as a joke – putting craft beer in a can – led Oskar Blues to become not only the canned craft beer pioneer but the leader of the growing movement. With a whopping 145 percent increase in revenue in 2009 and a 70.5 percent increase in shipments, Oskar Blues defies all norms.
In each of the last seven years the company has experienced double-digit growth. Last year was Oskar Blues’ biggest leap: 29,000 barrels produced in 2009 compared to 17,000 barrels in 2008.
Driving Oskar Blues’ growth and cult-favorite status is the company’s commitment to challenging the industry standard of what to expect from a canned craft beer. Their success has recently been underscored by coverage in Maxim magazine with Ten FIDY named as one of the Top 25 Best Beers in America, gaining a Gold Medal in the 2009 World Beer Championships and named as a leader of the canned craft beer category in the January issue of Bon Appétit.
Adding to their national coverage, Oskar Blues founder, Dale Katechis, was recently featured in the American Express Small Business “Open Forum” advertising campaign.
To meet sustained demand at the end of 2009, the brewery added three massive tanks to its arsenal, increasing capacity by 30 percent, while investing in building its sales force on the east and west coasts as well as in their home state of Colorado.
Dale Katechis founded the quirky brewpub turned regional craft brewery inside his original restaurant and music venue in 1999. He saw regionally distributing Oskar Blues beer as a way to drive restaurant business during the sleepy winters of small town Lyons, Colo. During the process of researching packaging options, Dale chose to can his flagship Dale’s Pale Ale instead of following the industry standard of bottling. That unique choice has helped the company double its business every year for the last 7 years.
What’s next for Oskar Blues Brewery? A bold, new brew will be released March 1. GUBNA Imperial IPA will be conveniently packaged in 12-ounce cans and sold in 4-pack carriers. The suggested retail price of this seasonal brew will be $14.49 per 4-pack. Oskar Blues Brewery’s GUBNA Imperial IPA joins an impressive line-up of boundary-busting canned beer getable in 26 states. For more information about where to purchase Oskar Blues beer visit http://www.oskarblues.com/locations/.
Set in the heart of Colorado craft beer country, Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons began canning its beers in November of 2002 with a hand-canning line in the 60-year-old barn next door to their funky little brewpub. Although it’s now a full-throttle canning operation that is quickly expanding its cult-like following across the nation, Oskar Blues remains true to its original mission of simply blowing minds with what can come out of a can of beer.
