Ackley Brands Acquires Mac & Jack’s Brewing Company
Today, Ackley Brands announced that it has acquired Mac & Jack’s Brewing of Redmond, Washington. Ackley Brands is a family-based, PNW-based company that owns a number of Northwest wineries. This is Ackley’s first foray into the realm of craft beer. For consumers, the transition should appear seamless.
It isn’t easy for a legacy craft brewery to execute an exit strategy that does not ignite some sort of public backlash. Mac & Jack’s Brewing, which opened in 1993, has been working on finding a smooth transition for some time now. Looking for a buyer, basically.
By all indications, the Ackley Brands acquisition is a happy outcome for the brewery’s owners/founders, and it’s an outcome that really should not ruffle any feathers among beer consumers. Ackley Brands is a local, family-based company, not a corporate juggernaut.
“The Mac & Jack’s team has been a family for years, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished,” said Mac Rankin who founded the brewery with his friend Jack Schropp three decades ago. “We have been looking for the right partner for our brewery, and we know we are placing it in the capable hands of a company that will continue to pursue excellence without neglecting our standards or our community.”
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This move strengthens Mac & Jack’s position as a Pacific Northwest icon, according to a statement from Ackley Brands. Under the new ownership, Mac & Jack’s “will remain dedicated to its principle of quality without compromise for decades to come.”
“The family values of their company align with ours so well,” said Ackley Brands President Brandon Ackley, who has been enjoying Mac & Jack’s beers for two decades. “Mac and Jack are hard-working, humble individuals who put their heart into everything they do. We are happy to start this journey together, and to continue making craft beer with the same quality standards as Mac and Jack have always held.”
The same brewery staff will continue to produce Mac & Jack’s beers. They’ll all retain their jobs. Rankin and Schropp will continue in their leadership roles and also act as consultants during the transition.
“We built Mac & Jack’s on partnerships across the region that we know will carry forward in its new form,” said Jack Schropp. “We’re glad to be a part of this vital transition for our brewery and see a bright future ahead.”
Ackley Brands was founded in 2016 when the Ackley family purchased Montinore Estate, a leader in the world of Biodynamic® viticulture that has been producing wine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley for nearly four decades. The company says that it is dedicated to developing premium beverage brands in Oregon and Washington. Wineries in the Ackley portfolio include Montinore Estate, Cataclysm Wine, Borealis Vintners, and Landline Estates. Learn more about Ackley Brands here.
Glad to hear they found a win/win situation. I’ll never forget my first time having their beer. I was at the Milton Tavern (near Fife, it was a bit of an hike, but craft beer bars were few and far between in the early 90’s) and the bartender said, “You should give this beer a try, it’s called Mac & Jack’s African Amber. Oh, and those two gentlemen at the bar are Mac & Jack..”
Agreed. I had it for the first time back then too, at a funny little parking lot festival at a local restaurant in Bellevue. Grazie Ristorante, the long-gone Factoria location. They were there pouring it themselves. I was fascinated by the “our brewery is in my garage” part of the story. It’s been fun watching them grow since then. Glad they found a way to bow out.