Matt Brewing Company - Family Leadership

Family Leadership

Francis Xavier Matt acquired his brewing expertise as a student of the Duke of Baden, and was considered a proficient brewer upon his arrival in the city of Utica in 1880. His grandson, F.X. Matt II, remarked that, under the duke's tutelage, F.X. Matt I gained brewing experience "as an art, not a science; as a way of life, not a way of making a living." Combining his talents with Charles Bierbauer, who was additionally skillful in old world brewing techniques, Matt nurtured a reputation in Utica's westside that resulted in his role as brewmaster, superintendent, and treasurer of a newly organized West End Brewing Company in 1888. F.X. Matt led the brewery until 1951.

Though F.X. Matt I stayed on to serve as brewery chairman until his death in 1958, his son Walter Matt began his tenure as president of the West End Brewery in 1951, serving in that role until 1980. Walter Matt modernized brewing operations. He also assisted in efforts to attract new businesses to the Utica area as the region entered its post-industrial period.

F.X. Matt II, upon becoming president of the family business in 1980, soon thereafter renamed the brewery the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in recognition of his grandfather. Under his leadership, the brewery kept up with national trends, including the introduction of the Saranac brand in 1985. Upon the unveiling of Matt's Premium Light Beer in 1982, F.X. Matt II brought a poetic flair to the brewery's marketing:

Look out Bud! Look out Miller!
New Matt's Light is a giant killer
With taste that's great and body surprising
Look out you guys--a new sun is arising.

We're not very big compared to you
But we love our beer and know how to brew--
A great light beer--with malt and hops
Shove over guys--your monopoly stops

Competition with larger brewers, within the context of staying afloat in a Rust Belt city such as Utica, was a continual theme for the Matt Brewery throughout the 1980s. For example, in 1985, F.X. Matt II sponsored an open letter to then Utica Mayor Louis LaPolla which criticized the mayor for not featuring Matt products at a fundraiser hosted by LaPolla. Matt II admitted that not seeing local beverage products at the event "was a real blow to our pride," arguing that such oversights eliminated "the thought that its in the community’s self interest to be a booster of those products which it makes itself.” Matt II had identified that the Matt Brewing Company was "in a war for very survival," given that so many smaller breweries during that era were annexed or consolidated by larger brewing interests.

LaPolla and Matt II moved on to build a more positive relationship, and Matt Brewing Company continued to be a business anchor in the city, spurred particularly by the popularity of its Saranac line of beers among the growing market of microbrew or 'craft beer' enthusiasts.

In order to maintain its market presence amidst the larger ongoing beer pricing war, F.X. Matt II developed a two-pronged strategy. First, Matt II initiated the new Saranac line of beers with the advice of notable brewmaster Joseph Owades (originator of the 'Light Beer' formula). Second, teaming with families members, including his brother Nick, Matt II purchased the brewery from a family trust, subsequenttly reconfiguring the breweries corporate strategy with the ultimate goal of augmenting the Saranac brand. The Saranac brand eventually gained the brewery new esteem in the 'microbrew' category of brewers, and a company that had seen sales of its beers plummet during the 1980s witnessed a doubling of sales during the early to mid-1990s.

F.X. Matt II served as brewery chairman until his death in 2001. Currently, the brewery is overseen by Nick Matt, chairman and CEO, with his nephew Fred Matt serving as president. The brewery continues to host, as it has for the past eleven years, Saranac Thursday Night, a weekly social event during the summer featuring beer, food, and live music, drawing thousands of people to Utica's Varick Street. As a result the surrounding confines of the brewery has been marketed as the city's "Brewery District," which has witnessed a renaissance of local night spots and the addition of restaurants and live music venues.

The brewery also offers paid tours during tourist season. A tour lasts for about one hour.