MILWAUKEE — Tony Bugher, the President of Leinenkugel Brewing and a sixth-generation leader of this family company, spoke exclusively with WTMJ’s John Mercure about the decision to close a 157-year-old Molson Coors brewery in Chippewa Falls. He goes into detail about how hard this is for the family and what went into the decision-making process.
“There’s a lot of history there [in Chippewa Falls]. A lot of memories for myself, all of my family members, my mother, my Dad, my uncle, my grandfather, so our entire family has grown up with this brewery and its history and its legacy has meant everything to us, in addition to all of the generations of employees,” Bugher told WTMJ.
Bugher is expecting somewhere between 40 and 55 employees to be impacted by the closure. The company is looking at potential opportunities for some of those employees at their Milwaukee-based operations. He was unable to comment on whether Molson Coors could use the facilities to keep some local brewing intact.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Molson-Coors plans closure of Leinenkugel’s Chippewa Falls brewery
“I’m responsible for leading Leinenkugel’s, which is still going to be brewed in Milwaukee, so the good news is, the brand isn’t going away and I’m focused on that,” he said. “The lodge will remain open here in Chippewa Falls, which will allow us to continue to celebrate the history and legacy and all of our great beers, plus the pilot system within the Leinie Lodge will remain open and will continue to innovate and incubate here in Chippewa Falls.”
When asked how this reflects on the state of the craft brewing industry, Bugher explained that the industry went through a boom and grew exponentially until the pandemic, when an oversaturated market began to slip and now, local brewers are feeling the ripple effect. He referred to this as the industry ‘level-setting.’
“It doesn’t take too much to recognize that when you walk into a grocery store, or a liquor store, or wherever you buy beer and there are so many choices out there,” he explained. “You get to a point where it’s hard to sustain that level of competition and saturation.”
All your favorite Leinenkugel’s specialties will continue to be brewed out of their Milwaukee operation and exclusive beers will still be available at various locations including J. Leinenkugel’s Barrel Yard at American Family Field. Nonetheless, this marked what Bugher described as the toughest day of his career and a very sad one for his family, community and team.
TOP HEADLINES FROM THE 620 WTMJ NEWS TEAM:
- EVERYDAY HERO: Accidental hero saves dog from elevator door
- Two Rivers murder suspect makes preliminary court appearance
- DEVELOPING: Death investigation near I-94 on Milwaukee’s south side
- Billy Joel & Sting to perform one-night-only concert at American Family Field
- “We now have a path forward:” Milwaukee County Board unanimously approves ‘Domes Reimagined’ plan
DECISION WISCONSIN ELECTION COVERAGE: WTMJ’s hub for everything you need to know from the 2024 Election in Wisconsin
