Crowns & Hops has stepped away from the Circle of Crowns Beverage Group (CCBG), the strategic alliance that was formed earlier this year with fellow California-based and Black-owned beverage brand Full Circle Brewing, as well as the latter’s sibling brands Speakeasy Ales and Lagers and Sonoma Cider.
Crowns & Hops founders Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter announced the move over the weekend in a video joint-posted on social media.
“As you all know, we’ve been in a new relationship, but now we’ve decided to go our independent path again,” Hunter said. “We’re going to be stepping away from the Full Circle, Circle of Crowns beverage group concept, and we’re really just going to refocus our efforts on Crowns & Hops.
“We believe that that focus is really going to allow us to stay as true to our mission as we always wanted to,” he continued. “It’s going to allow us to really bring as much value to our investors, our stakeholders, and ultimately our entire Crowns & Hops community.
“That said, we are grateful for our experience with Full Circle Brewing Company and wish Art [Full Circle founder Arthur Moye] and the Full Circle team all the success in the world.”
CCBG was founded in April. No equity was exchanged with the alliance, which instead formed a combined sales force and other shared resources for the four brands, with a particular focus on distribution and chain accounts.
Full Circle also began contract producing some of Crowns & Hops’ beers. At the time of CCBG’s founding, the alliance said it could produce up to 25,000 barrels using Full Circle’s excess capacity. The group was aiming to be a top regional producer, with a total output of more than 15,000 barrels, and to eventually reach 100,000 barrels, Moye said at the time.
“It was unfortunate to hear the news regarding Crowns & Hops and the challenges their business is facing,” Moye said in a statement shared with Brewbound. “We wish them well as they move forward independently and work to overcome the unique obstacles described in their latest business update.”
“As for Full Circle, we are optimistic about the craft beer and cider space and are well positioned for growth. We will continue to be a force for good – pursuing the partnerships we have and supporting the BIPOC community,” he continued.
“We will continue the mission independently under Full Circle Beverage Group and provide passionate support for upcoming brands in the craft beverage space. We have a history of finding opportunities and collaborations including the merger of Speakeasy and the acquisition of the Sonoma Cider brand. We will continue to build on this and share more in the future on our progress.”
Ashburn and Hunter included several other announcements in their video, including their decision to “walk away” from their in-progress taproom in Inglewood.
“The delays on permitting and the growth of our products and distribution resulted in financial challenges that, unfortunately, made it hard for us to achieve our goal of opening Crowns Inglewood,” Ashburn said.
She added that more news related to Crowns & Hops space will come in 2025. The brewery, founded in 2016, has yet to open its own brick-and-mortar location, with consumers instead getting their hands on beers through distribution or direct-to-consumer shipping.
“The reality is, we pivot as much as the game pivots, and right now everyone is experiencing the type of year, the type of business experience, that is volatile,” Hunter said. “We are no strangers to volatility, and we’re excited to be able to adjust and roll with the punches.”
“When you really visualize what it means to pivot, you always have that one foot grounded,” Ashburn added. “As you move around, the one thing that never changes is that one spot where that one foot is, and that’s our mission, and that’s what we stand for.”
Crowns & Hops’ mission includes continued advocacy for equity in the beer industry, and for historically underrepresented groups to have space in beer. It also includes being transparent with consumers about what goes into creating a beer brand, and the hurdles they face, with the intent to “own your crown” throughout the process.
“Own your crown means own your shit,” Ashburn said. “Own your wins, own your challenges, own your authentic voice and defend it with everything that you have.”
While Ashburn and Hunter acknowledge the volatility of the industry at the moment, Crowns & Hops has still had recent wins, including securing a deal to offer Crowns and Hops beer at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) by the end of the month. The company has also secured partnerships with major retailers, including Whole Foods Market, Total Wine & More, Target, Bevmo and Albertsons, as well as Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, and Hyatt hotels.
Additionally, the company won the 13th annual Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Brewing & Business Experienceship earlier this year.
“We want to be the case study for the successes and some of the losses that happen in this industry, just to show you that you can still be successful in this if you stay focused and you stick to your mission,” Ashburn said in Sunday’s video. “We’re here. We’re not going anywhere. And we just want to remind you guys of who Teo and Beny are, what we stand for and what this brand represents.
“We just want you guys to know we are going to take all of our experiences, our lessons, our challenges, our successes in all of the industry, knowledge that we have attained to really ensure the rest of this year’s success and be laser focused on 2025,” she continued.
Crowns & Hops produced 1,472 barrels of beer in 2023, a -2% decline year-over-year (YoY) according to data from the Brewers Association (BA). The brewery won the 2019 Brewbound Pitch Slam competition, and was named a Brewbound Rising Star in 2023.
Ashburn and Hunter spoke with National Black Brewers Association executive director Kevin Asato about their respective visions and missions during the 2023 Brewbound Live business conference. Watch their talk here.