Eugene, Ore. — Eugene-based Ninkasi Brewing Co. is making a cross-country leap with its latest distribution deal.
Ninkasi announced on its website Thursday that it has signed a deal with a craft beer wholesaler, Sheehan Family Companies, to start full-time distribution of Ninkasi in New York state in late September.
In May, Ninkasi started sending one-off shipments for special events to New York City, where one of Ninkasi’s founders has relatives. Now the Eugene-brewed beer will be available year-round in the Empire State through Sheehan Family Companies’ four New York distributors — Craft Beer Guild of New York, Union Beer Distributors, T.J. Sheehan Distributing and Tri-Valley Beverage, Ninkasi said.
“As an NYU alum and legitimate fan of New York, I am excited to bring our beers to the growing number of passionate craft beer drinkers on the East Coast,” Ninkasi co-founder and CEO Nikos Ridge said. “I look forward to working with The Sheehan Family Companies to build relationships with craft retailers across the state.”
Ninkasi doesn’t plan to make any immediate changes in staffing — it currently has 180 employees — or production as a result of the expansion, spokeswoman Ali AAsum said Thursday.
“We’re still aiming for a target of 105,000 to 110,000 barrels this year,” she said.
The move into New York means Ninkasi is now in 11 states fulltime. It is Ninkasi’s third expansion into new markets this year, following its entry into Texas last month and Utah in February. And the Eugene brewer likely won’t stop there.
AAsum said Ninkasi has been testing the waters in additional areas on the East Coast, sending shipments to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.