Michigan micro closes; brands sold - micro brewery Roffey Brewing Co - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Modern Brewery Age, July 9, 2001

The Roffey Brewing Company has closed its brewery in Holland, MI, after five years of operation. The Roffey brand was sold to the Robert Thomas Brewing Co. of Grand Rapids, MI. The building occupied by Roffey Brewing Co. will be leased to a new tenant, but the brewing equipment is up for sale.

According to the Holland Sentinel, Roffey's brewer Michael Bowe will will take over as brewer for Robert Thomas. Bowe said that Roffey's beer still will be sold in the same retail locations it is now, and that the move is being made to reduce overhead and provide a new outlet for the product -- an on-site pub.

"Robert Thomas has a pub right there with the brewery," Bowe told the Sentinel. "The brands will remain separate. Nothing will change as far as our beer goes except where we make it. "It really is just a change in address."

Roffey Brewing was founded in 1996 by James Roffey and gradually expanded to win a space on the shelves of most Holland supermarkets and party stores. The brewery produces 25,000 gallons of beer per year.

Roffey, who works full-time as an engineer at Zeeland-based Innotec, has reduced his role in the company over the past two years due to family obligations. He will be part owner of Robert Thomas and have a seat on the company's board of directors.

Roffey said the decision to sell his brand and move production to Grand Rapids was not a reflection on Holland.

"It has nothing to do with the Holland area. I'd love to stay in Holland--I live here--but it made sense from a business standpoint," he told the Sentinel. "I have two little kids now and so my priorities had to change. I couldn't give the brewery the attention it deserves."

Bowe said better equipment and a more central location for the company's distribution network also were factors in the decision to make the move. The change also will allow Roffey to increase its bottled-beer offerings. Bowe said the company, which currently sells three varieties in bottles, plans to bottle two or three more varieties.

Bowe has already begun brewing Roffey beer at the new location in Grand Rapids so that customers will not see a lag in beer supply during the changeover. "It really will be a seamless transition," he said.