Lagunitas Brewing Co. said Tuesday that it would cut 12 percent of its workforce, citing a retrenchment of the American craft beer market.
The Petaluma company, which rode a surging wave of consumer interest in full-flavored, hoppy ales to become the largest beermaker in Sonoma County, now finds itself on the growing list of brewers to contract as sales growth slows and competition increases.
The workforce reduction will affect every department in the company, which operates a production plant in Chicago and a taproom in Seattle, CEO Maria Stipp said in a prepared statement. Lagunitas employs about 900 people at its Petaluma headquarters, which will take the brunt of the more than 100 layoffs.
“The craft beer market is rapidly evolving and, in many ways, more challenging. More breweries, more choices … very much like the late ‘90s when the craft beer segment had similar pressure,” Stipp said.
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