Big Grove Brewery is headed to Missouri. The Iowa-based craft brewery announced Monday that it will open a new taproom in Kansas City next summer, marking its third state expansion.
The Kansas City location will add to Big Grove’s growing regional footprint, which includes four locations in Iowa and a forthcoming taproom in Omaha set to open later this summer. The company currently distributes its beer across six Midwestern states, a release stated.
Alongside its geographic growth, Big Grove is also expanding ownership – this time to its employees.
“We believe the best way to grow is by growing together,” said Doug Goettsch, co-founder of Big Grove Brewery. “Our team members are the soul of this company, and offering them this opportunity to build equity in their stores is one of the most meaningful ways we can invest back into our people.”
The new initiative gives store directors the chance to become owners in the company, specifically within the taprooms they oversee. The program will launch formally this summer and is already underway in a few Iowa locations, where three directors have stepped into ownership roles: Andrew Mitchell in Cedar Rapids, Alexi Schlesinger in Des Moines and Katie Neuzil in Solon.
“Starting with the company close to nine years ago as a bartender, I never thought I’d be a part owner. But that’s Big Grove, where you can work your way up,” Mr. Mitchell said.
Reinvestment efforts are also ongoing in the company’s existing locations, reflecting Big Grove’s “long-term commitment to each community it serves,” the release stated.
“We’ve always said we want our stores to reflect the communities we serve,” said Matt Swift, co-founder and CEO. “Now we’re taking that one step further – putting ownership directly in the hands of the people leading those community hubs every day.”
