Lion announced today that it has acquired Fermentum, the parent company of Stone & Wood Brewing, Two Birds and Fixation.

The initial media release has been published below. Find news and commentary here.

Stone & Wood co-founders Jamie Cook, Brad Rogers and Ross Jurisich

• Fermentum and Lion have reached an agreement for a 100% sale that will hand custodianship of the Fermentum family of brands to Lion, subject to regulatory approvals.
• The unique Fermentum Group, led by ground-breaking Stone & Wood, will be backed by Lion to grow further, and continue their positive impact in the community.
• Lion will continue Fermentum’s commitment to the Northern Rivers community, building a new brewery in Murwillumbah, donating $5 million to the inGrained Foundation for long term positive impact and another $1 million to Big Scrub Landcare Inc

Thursday, 9 September 2021: The Fermentum Family of Businesses and Lion have reached an agreement for the sale of 100% of the Fermentum Group. The Fermentum Group is comprised of leading brands, including the flagship Stone & Wood, Two Birds, Fixation, Little Dragon and Sunly Seltzer. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals, the process for which has commenced.

Lion Australia Managing Director James Brindley said, “We have huge respect for what Jamie Cook, Brad Rogers, Ross Jurisich and the team have created; great beer, wonderful brands, spiritual homes in their breweries and tap rooms, an inclusive culture and a commitment to the community.

“We want to grow what they’ve started, giving their people and beers even more reach across the country.

“We have a shared vision of ‘Brewing as a Force for Good’. Lion is Australia’s first large-scale carbon neutral brewer and we will be backing the Stone & Wood, Two Birds and Fixation breweries to go carbon neutral as well. There are lot of areas where we can learn from each other.

“The Fermentum business will continue to be a unique player in the drinks industry and we are excited about the opportunities for growth ahead,” ended Brindley.

Fermentum Co-Founder and Chairman Jamie Cook said the combination of timing and finding the right custodian to take the business forward made this the natural next step for Fermentum.

“After an extensive strategic review exploring options to set us up for future growth, we decided to test the waters on whether now was the right time for the founding families to find a custodian to grow Fermentum’s legacy, its people, its culture and its brands, and continue to drive the business forward whilst staying true to its purpose.

“We only looked for a custodian who would be committed to building the brewery and to support our work in the community. Not only did Lion welcome these ideas with enthusiasm, they demonstrated they have similar values and a focus on Environmental and Social Governance aligned to our “Force for Good” approach.

“Lion’s custodianship of Little Creatures, Four Pillars and New Belgium demonstrates they in fact learn from new businesses, and grow their impact and reach,” said Cook.

After reaching one per cent of the national beer market in a decade, the next chapter as part of Lion will unleash Fermentum’s full growth potential while maintaining the values and purpose so central to the business’ ethos.

Lion has a proven record of growing unique businesses, creating an unmatched portfolio of ground-breaking brands; Little Creatures and New Belgium Brewing in beer through to Four Pillars and Vanguard Luxury Spirits, which have all accelerated as part of the Lion family.

The Fermentum business will continue to be a unique player in the drinks industry.