New Belgium Brewing and the Future of American ESOPs
by Christopher Mackin
With the news arriving in late December that New Belgium Brewery employees voted to confirm the sale of their company to Kirin-owned Lion Little World Beverages, it is now official: a legendary ESOP story that began in the year 2000 is over. New Belgium Brewery is no longer an employee-owned company.
As news of the sale recedes, it is interesting to contemplate how New Belgium’s 700 employees might feel about the vote. A last-minute