Anchor Steam Beer, America’s first craft beer and a San Francisco original since 1896.
By Gary Raynaldo – DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Who in their right mind would think about pairing beer with yogurt? Well, Chobani yogurt CEO founder and billionaire Hamdi Ulukaya has just acquired San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company. Shepherd Futures, the family office of Chobani CEO Ulukaya announced last Friday its acquisition of the assets of Anchor Brewing Company (Anchor), America’s first craft brew, for an undisclosed amount. Anchor Steam Beer shut down its operations last summer after 127 years in business. It was a dark day for San Francisco beer lovers. But Ulukaya has vowed to bring the iconic brand back to life to the collective relief of many fans of the Bay Area beer.
(Photo by Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times) Anchor Steam Beer brewery located in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood.
“What an exciting time for San Francisco and Anchor Brewing,” said Hamdi Ulukaya in a statement. “Both are experiencing the magic of rebirth. I have fallen in love with this city, its history, grit and charm. I believe brands born in places like this are incredibly special and must be treasured, respected and loved. San Francisco is at the heart of Anchor Brewing, and Anchor embodies so much of what makes this city great,” continued Ulukaya. I have learned so much about Anchor and its role in San Francisco’s journey, and I look forward to doing whatever I can to support this amazing story of revitalization.”
-Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani
Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani. (Credit: Facebook)
The iconic San Francisco beer is known for its deep amber color, thick creamy head, and rich flavor. The landmark Bay Area company decided to close shop due to unfavorable economic factors stemming from the pandemic in addition to declining sales during the past decade.
(Photo by Gary Raynaldo / ©Diplomatic Times) Anchor Steam Beer brewery located in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill neighborhood.
Japanese Owner Sapporo Did Not “Understand” The San Francisco Craft Brewery Culture
Some point the finger at Anchor’s closing on Sapporo’s “lack of understanding” of San Francisco craft beer’s legacy. They point to the brewing company’s move in February 2021 to celebrate its 125-year anniversary with new branding for its classic line of beers. Fans took to social media to unleash a firestorm of criticism against the rebranding many felt the new imaging did not do justice to the Century-old legacy brew. “…a new look that forgoes its hand-drawn artisan label artwork in favor a more basic, and frankly, much blander generic look,” wrote americancraftbeer.com.
“There wasn’t an understanding of what they (Sapporo) had… of what the business was. This is a San Francisco business. This is like San Francisco. One of the examples that people talk about is when they did the rebrand and there was a lot of backlash. And our members were not happy about it. And I remember we were trying to prevent them from doing it. The members understood that this is a San Francisco legacy.”
-said Pedro De Sa, of the Warehouse Union Local 6, ILWU, which represents Anchor Brewery workers at the time of the closing.
Ulukaya grew up in a Kurdish dairy-farming family in a small village in eastern Turkey. After moving to the United States, he founded Chobani in 2005. In 2023 Chobani acquired La Colombe, a leading coffee roaster. Ulukaya will have his work cut out for him to make Anchor a success since he has only visited San Francisco a few times prior to his purchase of the legendary craft beer company. And he has no experience in the beer industry. But Ulukaya is a maverick with a lot of passion for success. Stay tuned.
