New Belgium, one of the country's largest craft breweries may be for sale, according to a report from Reuters citing unnamed sources.
The Fort Collins-based brewer would not confirm or deny that the company is for sale.
“New Belgium Brewing’s Board of Directors has an obligation to have on-going dialogue with capital markets with the goal of making sure that we remain strong leaders in the craft brewing industry. There is no deal pending at this time," founder Kim Jordan said in a statement.
New Belgium Brewing was founded in 1991 by Jordan and her ex-husband Jeff Lebsech. They started by brewing beer in the basement of their Fort Collins home. When the two started making beer, Jordan cut down on her hours as a social worker and Lebesch quit his job as an electrical engineer. Jordan says she doesn't remember spending a lot of time worrying about the future; she just didn't want to have regrets.
Talk of a sale comes as New Belgium is in the midst of expanding nationwide. The employee-owned company recently opened a new brewery in Asheville, N.C.
It's not clear what the price tag for New Belgium would be, but Ballast Point, a smaller craft brewer recently sold for 1 billion dollars.
