Over at Uppity Wisconsin, Jud Lounsbury has posted a very telling Facebook exchange he had with Deb Carey, the President, Founder and Owner of the New Glarus Brewing Company. If you hail from Wisconsin, you’ve no doubt heard of New Glarus (Spotted Cow, anyone?), but if you haven’t heard of it, the New Glarus Brewing Company is a tremendously successful small brewery based in New Glarus, Wisconsin.
In addition to being the President, Founder, and Owner of the New Glarus Brewing Company, Deb Carey is also the 2011 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Upper Midwest, so clearly she knows a thing or two about small businesses and entrepreneurship. According to Jud Lounsbury, Carey made it abundantly clear she’s no fan of laws enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature that have made it far more difficult for Wisconsin’s small breweries to continue to do business in Wisconsin.
Here’s the Facebook exchange between Lounsbury and Carey:
JL: So sorry to see what Walker and Co. are doing to great breweries like NG. Keep up the good fight!
DC: Thanks, still fighting. Funny thing now that the rules are being inacted we see how brewers got worked over in the budget. Bull Falls, along with many other small brewers, just lost it’s Wholesaler License. Furthermore, Horny Goat and Esser’s, among others are technically shut down, but have been granted a grace period to continue business, while they search for a fix. Great way to encourage business investment. We are expanding our Giftshop and Visitor Courtyard but will not be allowed to serve Wisconsin wine or have a pub with drinks and champagne because we weren’t doing so before this summer. No new brewers will be able to either.
Here are some of the changes enacted by Republicans that have negatively impacted Wisconsin’s small breweries, including New Glarus Brewing Company and Horny Goat, not to mention many others.
- All Wisconsin Breweries and Brewpubs will be negatively affected by losing their Wholesale and retail licenses and the benefits those licenses provide.
- Eliminates the current option of a brewer choosing to self-distribute or starting a Wholesale Distribution Company.
- Eliminates a Brewers current right to have ownership in two restaurants.
- Protects (Grandfather Clause) currents Wholesalers retail licenses, while eliminating that benefit for new start up Wholesalers.
- Unfairly burdens new Wholesalers and breweries with a requirement of 25 separate independent retail customers before a Wholesale license can be granted.
- Eliminates the ability of Brewers to sell existing retail or wholesale operations separately from the brewing operation.
- Eliminates current Wholesale investment in privately held Wisconsin Breweries while allowing investment in out of state and foreign and publicly traded breweries.
If Gov. Scott Walker and his Republican allies in the state legislature are really serious about creating jobs here in Wisconsin, perhaps they should talk to small business owners like Deb Carey, because she seems to know a thing or twenty about how to create jobs here in Wisconsin.
Then again, given the fact that Wisconsin has lost jobs for five consecutive months, it’s pretty obvious Scott Walker and Republicans in the state legislature don’t really care about actually creating jobs; they just like to talk about creating jobs.
zach- I understand that the restrictions are part of the budget bill- and craft-brewer lobbyists (whom by the way are very conservative as a bunch) were blocked from discussion at the senate & assembly leadership level. it was also presented to me as a pro coors/miller move to block market penetration of INBEV/AB which is the belgian beer conglomerate owner of anheiser busch.(recent reports have coors/miller in discussions for purchase by INBEV. Think of the influence and cash there. . .) regardless- as this assembly budget action took place this past summer- coors/miller (a substantial employer in mke for sure) threatened mass layoff of employees in Wisconsin to leverage the passage.
Lots to investigate here and potential ink – if interested.
How about a consumer co-op wholesaler?
How about a mass dumping of Anheuser Bush products in the streets around the capitol building?
Miles Kristan is not invited unless he can behave himself.
http://www.wxow.com/story/15476698/man-dumps-beer-on-lawmaker-at-madison-bar
Walker, his Koch buddies, and most national politicians are *not* pro-business, they are pro-multinational. There is an important difference and it doesn’t get discussed in the normal media channels. It all gets conflated to “business.”
Mostly true, but the Walker administration is only responsible for one of the last three changes in the law. During Doyle’s time they also changed the laws limiting the number of restaurants a brew pub owner could own. If my memory is right they also changed the laws giving the wholesalers more power over small brewers. The last change was put in to protect Miller/Coors from AB/Inbev from selling direct to customers by skipping the wholesale leg of the 3 tier system. Small brewers have been beaten up by both sides of the aisle for the last two governors.
Deb has shot herself in the foot. By funding the recall effort she has hurt her business badly. Alot of people are not going to purchase her beer from now on. Many taverns are pulling the cow taps.
She has helped cost this state more than $3 million to recall Walker
and who will run against him?
She may be pissed off. But soon she will get pissed on.
Hey Billy,
Do you have any proof to back up your assertions that “alot” of people are boycotting New Glarus beer, and that “many” taverns are “pulling the cow taps.” Walker cheerleadera never seem to be that good at putting concrete numbers behind their ridiculous broad-brush opinions.
I’ll give you a concrete number – a million. That’s how many people signed petitions to get Scott Walker out of office. It’s nearly as many people as voted for him in the 2010 election. Looks like you’ll be spending a lot more time at the tavern drowning your sorrows, Billy, when your hero is kicked out of the governor’s office.
How many of those are duplicates and cartoon characters?
I have been in 3 resturaunt in this month and the owners are pulling the taps as soon as barrels are empy. Talked to one owner today that didn’t know about cry baby Deb. He’s considering pulling also.
I have never been politically active in my life before. But I am now. I hate what you scum bags are doing.
Was in Wauwatosa Saturday the first of many rally’s for me.
I’m an ex union member and ex democrat. Was I blind all those years. Go Walker! Go! NO Greece for WI ! But probably for ILL.
Dumm asses see you at the polls.
Unless, I was lied to at least 3. Cry baby Deb will surely know soon.
She has throen a tantrum and now she will pay.
Have prop in WI, go frequently. Live in CO near brewery called COORS. “Love(d)” (pastense)NG for several years, drank plenty. NO MORE! WI unions & democratic party big problem now for U.S. Have others who now will not consume NG label. Be careful how you mix “small” bus. & politics Carey! Lived in IL for 30+ yrs so know union thug drills & democratic machine. Most relatives live in Chgo. Remember in 08 “we are going to fundamentally transform the U.S.”. He meant it. Ex VP candidate for U.S. Geraldine Ferraro said “BHO is an empty suit”. Get it yet? Isn’t WI in the black now vs red under the jackass mascot? Know the book “Rules for Radicals – Saul Alinsky”, know the tactics and his mantra “the end justifies the means”, slander, ridicule, lie,demean your opponent. Have an extensive address book of significant influence; frat brother ex-CEO of large big box retail chain & major car mfr, close friend retired CEO of large high end label retail clothing mfr, relative developed/ran large well known restaurant chain, same relative ex-Pres very large fast food chain, can you say Bob Woodward (aka Watergate) and the list goes on. They have large address books & oh……they drink beer. PS – daughter also grad of Carroll College – Helena MT, same as Carey.