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Sapporo consolidates all U.S. brewing to Richmond
April 23, 2026
As the craft beer industry contracts nationwide, a global brewer is consolidating its American future in Greater Richmond
Greater Richmond is becoming the sole U.S. production base for one of the country’s fastest-growing international beer brands as part of news of the company’s announcement that it is selling the Stone Brewing brand to Firestone Walker Brewing and Duvel Moortgat USA. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.
The Japanese company will retain the Richmond manufacturing facility and according to Sapporo’s notice to investors filed April 21, the company is designating the Richmond plant as its core U.S. production base for Sapporo brand products. Its Escondido, Calif., facility (the original Stone Brewing home), is expected to cease beer production entirely by the end of 2026. Hence, all U.S. Sapporo manufacturing consolidates in the City of Richmond.
What the deal actually includes
Sapporo Holdings is transferring the Stone Brewing brand, its trademark rights and four California locations to Firestone Walker Brewing and Duvel Moortgat USA. Production of Stone beers will shift to Firestone Walker’s facility in Paso Robles, Calif., and Duvel USA’s plant in Kansas City, Mo.
The Richmond plant is explicitly excluded. The physical manufacturing facility, the workforce and the infrastructure Sapporo has continued to invest in since its $165 million acquisition of Stone Brewing in 2022, which included a $40 million expansion of the Richmond operation, remains in place.
Why Richmond, and why it matters now
The timing of Sapporo’s decision is worth context. The craft beer market posted a 5.1% production decline in 2025, its steepest drop outside the pandemic, with closures outpacing openings for the second consecutive year. The broader U.S. beer market declined 5.7% over the same period. Against that industry trend, Sapporo is not retreating from U.S. beer manufacturing — it is concentrating it on the East Coast.
Sapporo’s investor materials frame the decision as a strategic consolidation of resources around a high-performing facility. The Sapporo brand has grown more than 30% in the U.S. over the last four years, and consolidating production around a single plant is projected to improve U.S. earnings by more than $10 million in fiscal year 2027.
The Richmond plant was selected over its California counterpart as Sapporo’s own language in its investor filing states the company will “maintain a local U.S. production and sales structure at the (Richmond) plant while seeking to optimize its production structure throughout North America.”
For context, Greater Richmond ranks No. 1 among large U.S. metros in Food & Beverage worker productivity, at $2.23 million in value added per worker, a figure that reflects the region’s depth in manufacturing workforce and infrastructure.
What changes, what doesn’t
Stone Brewing’s brand identity unfortunately leaves Richmond. The facility’s popular tap room experience that became part of the Fulton neighborhood’s fabric will evolve as Greater Richmond has become a haven for independent craft brewers and distilleries. That chapter had real meaning for the community and the craft beer community it helped build.
What remains is the manufacturing operation. The region that first attracted Stone Brewing through a competitive site selection process in 2014 has now been chosen again, this time as the anchor of a global brewer’s entire North American production strategy.
A signal worth noting
In an industry marked by contraction and consolidation, Sapporo’s decision to concentrate its entire U.S. manufacturing operation in Greater Richmond is more than a data point. It is a signal that the region’s Food & Beverage manufacturing credentials are attracting and retaining global companies at the highest level, even in a difficult market.
About The Author
Christopher Hollomon is Director of Marketing at the Greater Richmond Partnership, where he supports marketing and communications initiatives focused on business recruitment to the Richmond Region. Before joining GRP in 2025, he built a diverse career in graphic design, marketing, public relations and digital media across industries including healthcare, engineering, advocacy and the arts. His work has earned regional recognition, including award-winning campaigns for Sheltering Arms Rehabilitation Centers. Christopher holds a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communications and a master’s in Corporate and Professional Communications from Radford University and studied international communications in Salzburg, Austria. He lives in Henrico County with his wife and two children.
