What does a 40-year-old craft brewery become when beer alone is no longer the growth engine? In this conversation at the brewery’s New Orleans taproom, Troy Ashley of Abita Brewing Company breaks down the launch of the Abita Beverage Group and what it really means to evolve from a regional brewery into a multi-category beverage production platform. Originally founded in 1986, Abita has expanded far beyond its beer portfolio and now operating across RTDs, non-alcoholic beverages, neutral malt base production, and contract manufacturing partnerships. With more than $6 million invested in production infrastructure and a 40% increase in capacity, the company is positioning itself as both a brand builder and a production partner for emerging beverage companies. In this episode, we cover why Abita formalized its shift into a beverage group after years of evolution and whether diversification is strategy, necessity, or risk management. We chat about how contract production partnerships get built and the operational reality of moving from brewery to multi-category manufacturer along with what categories (like RTDs) are driving the next phase of growth.
