KALAMAZOO — Saugatuck Brewing Co. plans to acquire Kalamazoo-based Gonzo’s BiggDogg Brewing Co. LLC, pending various regulatory approvals.
Under the deal, management of the Kalamazoo operations will be handled by the Douglas-based Saugatuck Brewing, which plans to keep Gonzo’s staff in place, according to a statement. The deal is contingent on the plans receiving approval from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
COURTESY
Gonzo’s will be renamed Saugatuck Brewing Company — Kalamazoo, but will maintain several of the former product brands. The new owners also plan to expand the brewery’s hours and produce Saugatuck Brewing brands on site in Kalamazoo.
Gonzo’s started in 2011 and distributes beer in Michigan and the Chicago market, according to a statement.
“This is a great opportunity for us to grow as a company and continue the legacy of making great beer at this location for the people of Kalamazoo,” Megan Scheerhorn, vice president of marketing at Saugatuck Brewing, said in a statement.
Both breweries had declining in-state beer sales in 2017, the last full year for which data are available from the MLCC, according to an analysis by MiBiz. Saugatuck’s sales in Michigan were down 10.1 percent, while Gonzo’s had plummeted 26.4 percent, per tax data collected by the state.
