SOMERDALE, NJ – March, 11, 2016 – Flying Fish Brewing, the award winning New Jersey craft brewery, completed a recapitalization with Elk Lake Capital, an independent, family-owned capital investment firm based in Scranton, PA. Founded in 1995 by Gene Muller, a craft brewing pioneer, Flying Fish produced and sold over 24,000 barrels in 2015. It distributes its beers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. The line of award winning beers have received a total of eight medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup.
The transaction with Elk Lake Capital provided liquidity to original investors and long term capital to support the brewery’s continued growth. Flying Fish continues to be run by Gene Muller its founder and President.
Fairmount Partners represented the shareholders of Flying Fish in the process that resulted in the selection of Elk Lake Capital and completion of the transaction. Flying Fish is Fairmount’s first assignment in the dynamic craft brewing industry.
“Flying Fish is a superb regional brewery and it was a great pleasure to partner with Gene Muller and his team to achieve this success in conjunction with Elk Lake Capital” commented David Reed, Director and head of Fairmount’s craft brewing efforts. “We look forward to Flying Fish continuing its growth and providing its great beers to craft enthusiasts”.
About Flying Fish Brewery
Flying Fish Brewing Company is a small craft beer brewer founded in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1995 and opened for business in late 1996. When Gene Muller founded Flying Fish Brewing Co., he did so first on the World Wide Web – making it the world’s first virtual microbrewery. Muller said the idea was to allow people go behind the taps and see the thousands of details needed to put a craft brewery together.
Flying Fish is located in Somerdale, New Jersey. It was the first microbrewery in Southern New Jersey and the first new brewery built in that part of the state in more than half a century. From its opening in late 1996, Flying Fish has increased its capacity more than 20x and become the largest of the ever-growing number of craft breweries in the state. In 2012, the brewery moved from its original location in Cherry Hill to a new facility in Somerdale. The facility boasts many sustainability features, to brew beer in the most environmentally friendly way possible.
About Elk Lake Capital
Elk Lake Capital is a family office specializing in investment opportunities in private entrepreneurial companies. Elk Lake Capital offers thoughtful, well-planned capital investment strategies in the manufacturing, food, energy, financial services, logistics and health care sectors.
About Fairmount Partners
Fairmount Partners is one of the largest investment banking groups in the Mid-Atlantic region. The firm specializes in advising middle-market growth companies with mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and strategic advice. Fairmount has completed more than 150 transactions throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, please visit: http://www.fairmountpartners.com
Principals of Fairmount Partners acted as advisors to Flying Fish Brewery in this transaction.
Contact:
David Reed
Fairmount Partners is a registered Broker Dealer, member FINRA (www.finra.org) and SIPC (www.sipc.org).
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