Icicle Brewing of Leavenworth, Washington just announced a change in its ownership structure. Pamela and Oliver Brulotte gifted a portion of ownership to four key employees that have greatly contributed to the company’s success. The expanded ownership helps ensure that Icicle Brewing remains a customer-focused, independent and local company.
The new owners include Joel Martinez (CEO), Dean Priebe (Brewmaster and Senior VP of Brewing Operations), Jesse Willis (VP of Sales), and Jason Leal (VP of Wholesale Operations).
“We value and appreciate the contributions that all of our employees have made over the last eight-plus years to get Icicle to where it is today. As we continue to grow, we wanted to share this journey with four of our long-term employees who have worked in key roles at the brewery,” said Co-Founder, Pamela Brulotte.
Pamela and Oliver Brulotte will remain involved in guiding the company through the next phase of growth as part of the newly formed board of directors, which also includes the four new owners. The executive team will include the four new owners plus Rachel Nicholson (VP of Taproom Operations) and Chris Danforth (VP of Marketing).
Pamela will continue to focus on training employees, volunteering with local organizations, and her work as President of the Washington Brewers Guild. Pamela also works with the Brewers Association Market Development Committee. Oliver will continue to support Icicle’s growth by focusing on visioning work and special projects.
The new ownership structure comes on the heels of a newly completed 13,500 square foot production brewing facility and a Leavenworth brewpub remodel that is expected to be completed in late September. See our report about those developments.
According to a press release from the company, the new production facility includes the equipment from the existing brewhouse plus four new fermenters which allows Icicle to brew 50% more beer annually with future maximum production potential increasing 250%. The new brewery also includes a new Comac canning line and features carbon capture technology, which is the first of its kind in Washington state.
When complete, the brewpub remodel will add about 1,200 square feet of retail space. In addition, a new five-barrel brew system from Premier Stainless will complement the beer offerings from the production facility.
Co-Founder, Oliver Brulotte said, “The new five-barrel system will be a real game-changer for our guests who come visit us at the Leavenworth brewpub. We will primarily use this system for weekly ‘brewpub only’ releases which will give craft beer enthusiasts new brews to try more often.”
Great Job Icicle! I hope to hear of more stories like this.
This makes me verrry happy!
Way to go Jason!
Thank you so much for keeping it local and not selling out to the likes of Budweiser or Coors. Looking forward to some new brews on tap in the future?