Another local beer company, this one on the Oregon Coast, has joined the beverage collective run by Eugene-based Ninkasi Brewing.
Buoy Beer confirmed its merger with Great Frontier Holdings in a Sept. 10 social media post signed by Co-Founder David Kroening.
Kroening said the partnership with Great Frontier will see the Eugene-based group centralize production, sales, innovation and growth of Buoy Beer brands. He said this will ensure that Buoy Beer's beverages will remain available to enjoy for years to come. Founded in the early 2010s, Buoy Beer brews ales and lagers.
Buoy's Astoria facility and restaurant partially collapsed in 2022, the Associated Press reported. No injuries were reported, but two years later, the Department of Environmental Quality fined the company more than $138,000 for failing to clean up debris from the collapse, according to the Salem Statesman Journal.
Kroening said Buoy Beer has faced a lot of the same challenges as its industry colleagues, but that the 2022 facility collapse proved "too much for us to fully overcome."
"It has been both rewarding and challenging over the last 14 years as our team has navigated Buoy from an idea to so much more," Kroening said. "I'm extremely proud of everything our team has accomplished over the years and look forward to the future in partnership with Great Frontier."
Buoy Beer will continue operating its Astoria businesses, including Pilot House Distilling, and its tasting rooms in Astoria and Cannon Beach.
Great Frontier Holdings works with other Oregon beverage brands such as Ninkasi Brewing, Incline Cider House, Ecliptic Brewing and Ashland Hard Seltzer.
Hannarose McGuinness is The Register-Guard's growth and development reporter. You can reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Coast brewer merges with Eugene-based beer company