New ownership

Simon Leonard has taken a majority ownership in Fire Island Beer Company LLC, with the original founders retaining a minority interest. Simon is the founder and owner of Blackrock Beer Company, a beer consultancy firm based in Fairfield CT.

 

Simon had been working as the consultant master Brewer for Fire Island Beer since early 2013, where he had worked to formulate two new beers and rework some of the existing Fire Island offerings. Through this process he had realized that his dream lay in brewing rather than his day to day job working as a Senior Vice President at an Investment Bank in New York. In May this year he made the switch to the world of Brewing and over lunch with David Van Wees, Founder of Latis and Partner in Fire Island Beer Company it was evident that taking on Fire Island would a great opportunity for Simon to continue his work on the product but also set a platform for future growth of the Fire Island Brand. The new structure will allow Fire Island Beer to be managed by a small team solely dedicated to the growth of its brand.

 

Combining 12 years of business management experience in the Financial Sector, a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and consulting as a brewer for Fire Island will stand Simon in good stead to take the dreams of the original Founders and make them reality. This will include a physical location in Long Island and potentially a sister site in Connecticut. The original founders will still have a stake in the Company and will be instrumental in helping move the Company forward.

 

Latis will assist Simon for during a transition period and Radeberger USA will remain the selling agent for the brand. Thus, nothing will change in the short-term with regard day to day sales and management of the Fire Island Brands.