Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, the celebrity owners of football club Wrexham AFC, have deepened their connection to the Welsh town by becoming co-owners of Wrexham Lager Beer Co.
The duo have purchased a majority stake in the brewery via a joint venture called Red Dragon Ventures. It is formed of The R.R. McReynolds Company, majority owner of Wrexham AFC, and the Allyn family of Skaneateles, New York.
Red Dragon Ventures had been “created to drive growth in the Wrexham community and Wrexham AFC,” said a press release announcing the deal.
It will run Wrexham Lager Beer Co alongside current owners the Roberts family, who have retained an ownership stake.
The family, which relaunched the brewery in 2011 after production was mothballed in 2000, would “maintain an active role within the business, continuing to oversee quality control across all markets, local brewery operations, and community engagement projects,” the release said.
CEO James Wright would continue to lead the business, and help drive international expansion into markets including Australia, Japan and Scandinavia, as well as the US and Canada “in the coming months”, it added.
Wrexham Lager Beer Co claims to be the oldest lager-producing brewery in Great Britain, having been established in 1882.
It makes a 5% abv Wrexham Lager Export and a 4.6% abv Pilsener, alongside its flagship, namesake 4% abv Wrexham Lager.
The lager is sold in Aldi, Morrisons and Iceland, according to Assosia data.
“As co-chairmen of Wrexham AFC we have learned a lot,” said McElhenney and Reynolds. “The connection between club and community, the intricacies of the offside rule and the occasional need for beer – especially after finance meetings. Wrexham Lager has a 140-year-old recipe and a storied history and we’re excited to help write its next chapter.”
Reynolds is already well-versed in booze brand ownership, having previously co-owned the Aviation Gin brand from 2018 to 2020.
The Oregon-based Aviation was sold to Diageo for $610m (then £466m) in August 2020.
It is also not Wrexham Lager Beer Co’s first brush with celebrity.
The business partnered with Bootlegger (real name Karl Phillips) to launch a Bootlegger 1974 Pilsner in 2020, but parted ways with the social media influencer in acrimonious circumstances earlier this year.
Phillips posted on a social media in March claiming to be owed money by Wrexham Lager Beer Co, a claim denied by the brewer.
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