History
The New Glarus Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Deborah Carey (making her the first woman in the United States to found and operate a brewery) and her husband Dan Carey. Before starting the New Glarus Brewing Company, Dan Carey was an experienced diploma master brewer.
The brewery began in an abandoned warehouse with used brewpub equipment. In 1997, Dan Carey removed copper kettles from a brewery in Germany that was slated to be demolished. When the retiring brew master learned his beloved brew kettle might live on, he sold all of his equipment worth an estimated value of $1 million to the Careys for its scrap value of just over $24,000 US. New Glarus Brewing Company brewed its first beer in October of that year and began selling its product in December.
In May 2006, New Glarus Brewing Company broke ground on a new $21 million facility on a hilltop on the south edge of the village of New Glarus. The facility was designed to look like a Bavarian village and has become a destination for tourists who visit New Glarus. Production at the company's old facility had topped-out at over 65,000 barrels a year. The new 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) facility will increase production to 100,000 barrels. The expansion will enable the company to increase production of its "Unplugged", fruit, and barrel-aged beers. The number of employees is expected to nearly double from about 35 to 60. Construction was completed on schedule and the first brew at the Hilltop plant was November 15, 2008.
Today the company brews a variety of beers, with its Spotted Cow label leading in sales. New Glarus Brewing company beers are sold exclusively in Wisconsin. From 1998 to 2002, the company's brews were also sold in Illinois, with a majority of its sales in greater Chicago. After a dispute with its distributor, New Glarus Brewing ceased sales in Illinois.
The Green County, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation says the brewery has a direct and indirect economic impact of about $40 million a year.
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