With its acquisition by Japanese beer giant Sapporo last year, Stone Brewing is embarking on an expansion phase at its substantial East End Richmond facility. This development comes ahead of November when Stone will incorporate three Sapporo beers into its offerings, turning its Richmond facility into the U.S. manufacturing hub for its new parent company. Sapporo is investing $40 million to enhance production capacity at the Richmond facility in anticipation of this expansion.
Stone Richmond is undergoing a comprehensive expansion process, including doubling its workforce, introducing new fermenters, upgrading canning lines, and refining storage procedures. The brewery is hiring 54 new local positions across various levels in brewing, packaging, maintenance, quality, engineering, and warehouse logistics. The workforce at Stone has grown from around 80 to 160 employees, with the average starting salary being approximately $57,000.
To accommodate the expanded operations, Stone will receive 12 new 1,000-barrel fermenting tanks this week. The facility aims to produce 156,000 barrels of beer this year, increasing to 320,000 barrels next year and aiming for 360,000 barrels annually by 2025.
The introduction of Sapporo beers will diversify Stone’s offerings, adding to the 20-25 types of brews it currently sells. The Richmond facility will also undergo reorganization of its warehouse and storage facilities, introduce a new small-batch brewing system and a faster canning line, and retrofit the current line for increased can packaging.
Sapporo’s financing of this expansion focuses on brewing and packaging, with a long-term plan that extends to 2026. With combined efforts from Stone and Sapporo, the target is to produce 700,000 barrels between the Escondido and Richmond breweries by the end of the following year. The Richmond brewery is expected to contribute around 40% of Sapporo’s total product output this year, increasing to 50% in 2025.
