BrewDog has appointed John Graham CEO of the Scottish craft beer company’s U.S. operations.
Graham has more than two decades of experience in CPG and hospitality, including 15 years at Johnson & Johnson in various leadership roles, according to a press release. Most recently, Graham worked as chief marketing officer for Dutch Bros Coffee, a Grants Pass, Oregon-based coffee chain with more than 780 locations. Graham has also held c-suite titles at Triton Strategy Partners, a business consultancy he also founded, and Align Technology, a medical device company.
“After an incredible run at Dutch Bros., I am thrilled to announce that I’ve traded a cup of coffee for a pint of beer and have joined the BrewDog team as the new CEO for the U.S.,” Graham wrote in a LinkedIn post Wednesday. “I look forward to working with this talented, hardworking crew as we support and drive growth and success in our home market of Ohio, and within our rapidly expanding markets across the U.S.”
Graham replaces Jason Block, who served as CEO since January 2020, helping the company navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as discrimination accusations at the company’s now-shuttered Indianapolis location. Block, the third person to head BrewDog’s U.S. operations, has left the company to “pursue new business opportunities,” Columbus Business First reported.
“I am confident now is the right time for a transition,” Block wrote in a LinkedIn post last week. “This team and business have built an insanely strong foundation for the future, and I look forward [to] watching all their upcoming successes.”
BrewDog operates eight locations in the U.S., including bars in Atlanta and Las Vegas that opened in the last year. Its other locations are centered around Ohio, where the company’s U.S. operations are headquartered: Cincinnati, Cleveland, New Albany, Canal Winchester and two in Columbus.
BrewDog closed its taproom in Indianapolis (opened in 2019) in April 2022, followed by its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pub earlier this month. The company has a trio of bars planned for the Denver area, opening over the next four years through a partnership with franchise owner Juan Carlos Mondragon, beginning with a location in the River North neighborhood.
“We have built a fantastic platform in the states, but we are still very much at the beginning of our U.S. journey and see massive potential to capitalize on the continued shift towards high quality craft beer,” BrewDog co-founder and CEO James Watt said in the release. “John brings with him a superb skillset, proven experience and an obvious passion for craft beer.”
BrewDog ranked as the No. 38 largest U.S. craft brewery by volume in 2022, according to the Brewers Association (BA). The brewery also made the BA’s list of top 50 overall breweries by volume, at No. 48.