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.
