New Belgium Brewing Company is a nationally distributed

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The brand produces Fat Tire Amber Ale, Voodoo Ranger IPA, Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza, and La Folie Sour Brown Ale, among other regular and seasonal beer varieties. Founded by Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch in 1991 in

Fort Collins A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, the company expanded to Asheville, North Carolina, in 2016 and

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in 2018. In 2019, New Belgium was acquired by Lion, an Australian subsidiary of Kirin beverage group of Japan.

History

The Fat Tire recipe originates from a co-founder's bicycle trip through

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

from brewery to brewery. The company promotes its Fat Tire ale locally by the public placement of colorful vintage bicycles outside its brewery, which is located adjacent to the public bike path along the

Cache La Poudre River The Cache la Poudre River ( ), also known as the Poudre River, is a river in the state of Colorado in the United States. Name The name of the river () is a corruption of the original Cache à la Poudre, or "cache of powder". It refers to an ...

. Before 2002, New Belgium distributed in only 16 states; by 2015, it had become the fourth-largest craft brewer in the country and the eighth-overall largest brewer in the United States.New Belgium Brewing bringing its craft beer to Mississippi
Feb. 21, 2014. As of August 2017, New Belgium was available in all 50 states. As of February 2018, New Belgium was distributed in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Australia, Japan,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

, Sweden and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Business and production

New Belgium's main brewery is in Fort Collins. In 2013, New Belgium had some 480 employees and more than $180 million in sales.Leigh Buchanan
The 25 Most Audacious Companies: It's All About Ownership
''Inc.'', Apr. 18, 2013. It has had an

employee stock ownership plan Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...

since 2000 and in January 2013 became 100 percent

employee-owned Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...

through an ESOP. The 2014 documentary '' We The Owners'' examined New Belgium's focus on employee-ownership and how that shapes its overall

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

of collaboration. 2016 saw new additions to the brand, debuts of Voodoo Ranger and Day Blazer line. New Belgium is known for its quirky

corporate culture Historically there have been differences among investigators regarding the definition of organizational culture. Edgar Schein, a leading researcher in this field, defined "organizational culture" as comprising a number of features, including a ...

; the company employs eight " carnies," who work the brewery's Tour de Fat fundraising events, in addition to

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

s, microbiologists, electricians, forklift operators, and engineers. The company has low (3 percent) annual employee turnover, and a tenth of the brewery's employees may take extended leave in any given year. Employees who become part-owners of the business are recognized at an annual Ownership Induction Ceremony and are presented with a

cruiser bicycle A cruiser bicycle, also known as a beach cruiser or (formerly) motobike, is a bicycle that usually combines balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward steel construction with expressive stylin ...

recalling the company's symbol. The company was named one of the "25 Most Audacious Companies" by '' Inc.'' magazine. ''Esquire'' selected Fat Tire Amber Ale as one of the "Best Canned Beers to Drink Now" in a February 2012 article. In May 2014, New Belgium began work on a second brewery in Asheville, North Carolina, which became fully operational in May 2016.New Belgium Brewing to start work on $175m Asheville facility, DBR, March 17, 2014. The brewery is positioned along the French Broad River on Craven Street in Asheville's River Arts District.Tony Weiss
Asheville brewers cheer planned New Belgium expansion in River Arts District
''Asheville Citizen Times'', April 6, 2012. New Belgium's brewery, which is , has capacity to produce up to a half-million barrels of beer.

Label design

Most of New Belgium's beer labels were initially designed by Anne Fitch, a watercolorist whose work appeared on all New Belgium beers for 19 years. In 2006, NBB changed its logo because it realised that beer drinkers could identify the Fat Tire label, but "didn't recognize the brewery label, or make the connection that New Belgium brewed Fat Tire and other best-selling brands, such as Sunshine Wheat." The company's new logo "pays homage to the well-known Fat Tire brand bicycle" drawn by Anne Fitch. Kim Jordan, the president of New Belgium Brewery, credits the success of New Belgium Brewery in part on Fitch's artwork: "Our beers were good, our labels were interesting to people, and we pretty quickly had a fairly robust following."
Beerscribe.com Accessed 3/21/08 In 2010, however, New Belgium unveiled its four-beer Explore Series, whose labels featured a different design. New belgium brewery interior

References

{{Commons category Kirin Group Mitsubishi companies Beer brewing companies based in Colorado Companies based in Fort Collins, Colorado Privately held companies based in Colorado American companies established in 1991 1991 establishments in Colorado Benefit corporations Food and drink companies established in 1991 B Lab-certified corporations