When Isaac Showaki opened Octopi Brewing in 2015, his goal was to help breweries adapt. Back then, the 50-barrel facility in Waunakee, Wisconsin, was zeroed in on local and regional craft brewers, acting more like an innovation consultant than a contract brewer. In its first years in business, Octopi was forced to adapt but 2023 showed that it’s now the beer industry that is adapting to Octopi.
In 2015, Octopi’s capacity was 130,000 cases. Today, it stands at an estimated 7 million, a growth of over +5,200%. Octopi is now the fourth largest brewery in Wisconsin, making beer, seltzer, and malt-based beverages for companies like Mikkeller Beer, Omission Brewing, and Golden Road Brewing. It’s the house brewery for chains like Aldi and Trader Joe’s.
“My dream was to get to 50,000 barrels, because at that time, I would be a top-50 craft brewer in the U.S.,” Showaki told Brewbound in May. “But after the second year, I saw the craft beer industry specifically going nowhere, and I decided to completely revamp my business plan to become a beverage co-packer.”
Although Showaki’s initial goal was to stay in the craft brewing industry, today his business is only about 25% beer. Instead of going all-in on elevating craft production, he’s used 2023 to position Octopi as a leader in beyond beer, spinning up seltzers, hard juices, functional beverages, non-alcoholic beer, and THC drinks. The business’s track record of innovation and quality has flipped the paradigm.
Words,Jerard Fagerberg