With all the news of breweries selling out these days, Icicle Brewing Company is proud to announce that it is building from within! Founders, Pamela and Oliver Brulotte have gifted a portion of ownership to four key employees who have greatly contributed to the success of Icicle Brewing Company. The expanded ownership will help to ensure that Icicle remains a customer-focused, independent and local company.
The new owners include CEO; Joel Martinez, Brewmaster and Senior VP of Brewing Operations; Dean Priebe, VP of Sales; Jesse Willis, and VP of Wholesale Operations; Jason Leal.
“We value and appreciate the contributions that all of our employees have made over the last eight plus years to get Icicle to where it is today. As we continue to grow, we wanted to share this journey with four of our long-term employees who have worked in key roles at the brewery,” said Co-Founder, Pamela Brulotte.
The Brulottes will continue to be involved in guiding the company through the next phase of growth as part of the newly formed board of directors which also includes the four new owners.
The executive team, handling day-to-day operations will include the four new owners plus Rachel Nicholson, VP of Taproom Operations and Chris Danforth, VP of Marketing.
Pamela Brulotte will continue to be focused on employee training, volunteering with local organizations and her work as President of the Washington Brewers Guild and with the Brewers Association Market Development Committee. Oliver will continue to support Icicle’s growth by focusing on visioning work and special projects.
The new ownership structure comes on the heels of a newly completed 13,500 square foot production brewing facility and a Leavenworth brewpub remodel that is expected to be completed in late September.
The new production facility includes the equipment from the existing brewhouse plus four new fermenters which allows Icicle to brew 50% more beer annually with future maximum production potential increasing 250%. The new brewery also includes a new Comac canning line and features carbon capture technology, which is the first of its kind in Washington state.
When complete, the brewpub remodel will add about 1,200 square feet of retail space. In addition, a new five-barrel brew system from Premier Stainless will complement the beer offerings from the production facility.
Co-Founder, Oliver Brulotte said, “The new five-barrel system will be a real game-changer for our guests who come visit us at the Leavenworth brewpub. We will primarily use this system for weekly ‘brewpub only’ releases which will give craft beer enthusiasts new brews to try more often.”
The new ownership structure coupled with newly expanded brewery operations has positioned Icicle Brewing Company to provide a better customer experience, offer more beers and different styles which will allow the company to continue to thrive with organic growth in the Pacific Northwest region.
