EP-258 Archie Gleason of Sycamore Brewing

When we talk about the evolution of breweries into “beverage companies,” that conversation has been dominated by some of the largest corporations in the world. MillerCoors literally changed its name at the start of this year to Molson Coors Beverage Company to reflect its evolving business model and the shifting attitudes and preferences of today’s drinkers. Anheuser-Busch InBev sells across beverage categories—both alcoholic and non—and even craft conglomerates like CANarchy or Artisanal Brewing Ventures are diversifying across cider, flavored malt beverages like hard seltzer, and more.

But when it comes to a truly modern beverage company, there’s plenty happening among the littler businesses, too. And that’s what guides the conversation in this episode. We’re going to talk hard seltzer, of course, but also cider and beer, and how marketing and sales work with and against the tactic of keeping all those drinks under one umbrella.

To learn about all this, we’re chatting with Archie Gleason, the vice president of sales for Sycamore Brewing in Charlotte, North Carolina. This company has been growing fast in recent years, and has become a staple in many Tar Heel State grocery stores, while expanding north and south into neighboring states.

You may not know Sycamore, but you’re likely familiar with the ideas and themes that drive this company’s approach: namely, that drinkers are interested in a host of experiences, and it's the responsibility of a forward-thinking company to fulfill that need. That’s what’s led Sycamore to expand into other categories while never quite taking an eye off what got the company to this point: beer.

Sycamore is one of the more successful breweries to have started in North Carolina in the past decade, but a commitment to change has set it up ideally for the near future. Archie and I are going to talk about sales and data, labeling and trends, and about how his decades in the beer industry keep him feeling comfortable—even in an uncertain period for beer.

I hope one of this conversation’s key takeaways also resonates with you: that Archie and the Sycamore team’s experience is going to be repeated a lot in the coming years by all sorts of breweries-turned-beverage-companies, no matter how big or small, or where they may be found around the country.

This is Archie Gleason of Sycamore Brewing. Listen in.