Union workers at Anchor Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewer in the United States, want to buy the 127-year-old company and run it as a co-op to save it from closing, a union official said.
The company said last week that economic pressures, including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, had left it “with no choice but to make the sad decision to cease operations.” But the employees, given 60 days’ notice and promised severance packages, suggested a way to keep the beer flowing.
The workers “decided to launch an effort to purchase the brewery and operate it as a worker co-op,” according to a proposal letter from Anchor employees. Pedro de Sá, the business agent at the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6, whose members include Anchor workers, sent the proposal Wednesday to Mike Minami, the president of Sapporo USA, which owns the company.
“All we want is a fair shot at being able to continue doing our jobs, making the beer we love, and keeping this historic institution open,” the employees said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. “We don’t want to sell the brewery and brand we love before we even have a chance.”
The letter asked Mr. Minami to let the union know by the end of the day on Friday whether the company would “work with us cooperatively and transparently” through the process of raising funds and setting up a framework for the purchase.
VinePair, a media organization covering the wine, spirits and beer industry, the offer was reported on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, unionized Anchor workers posted a link on VinePair’s article on Twitter: “It’s time to test everyone’s love for this brand,” the workers said. “Let’s do this together and bring back what we almost lost.”
Sam Singer, an Anchor spokesman, would not comment on the proposal Thursday but said about two dozen investors and individuals have expressed interest in acquiring Anchor Brewing Co.’s assets.
“It’s great to see so many stepping up to possibly continue the tradition of an iconic company and beer in San Francisco,” said Mr. Singer. “We remain hopeful that Anchor will be bought and will continue into the future, but that decision will be in the hands of the liquidator and will depend on what potential buyers have to offer.”
The Japanese beer giant Sapporo got the company, founded in 1896, in 2017 for about $85 million. In 2019, Anchor workers voted to unionize, describing inadequate pay and unfair working conditions.
Mr. de Sá said in an interview Thursday that he met with 39 workers who are members of the union and represent about two-thirds of the brewery’s workforce. In a meeting at the plant on Wednesday, employees agreed to form a committee to review the terms and pursue further steps to compete for ownership.
But the August 2 start of the liquidation process for the company is looming.
“The timeline is very short,” Mr. de Sá said. “As far as we know, the company will be sold for shares, and we want enough time to get a serious bid.”
When the closing was announced on July 12, ILWU Local 6 described it as a “tragic consequence” of a large corporation taking over a local institution from a base across the Pacific Ocean and “not understanding how to market, sell, and distribute a great product that has been loved for generations.”
Anchor has stopped brewing but said it will continue to sell the beer until it runs out or until the end of July, whichever comes first. Anchor Public Taps will sell remaining inventory.
After word of the impending closing spread, fans lined up outside the tap room to buy T-shirts and cases of beer and to help use up the remaining inventory, The Associated Press reported. In the Bay Area, NBC News reported this week that other investors have expressed interest to save the brewery.
For Sapporo, Anchor Steam was “just a line item in the budget,” the union said at the time, but workers and the city of San Francisco “suffered the consequences.”