BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie has stepped away from the Scottish beer business.
Dickie, who co-founded BrewDog alongside James Watt in 2007, told staff of his decision to quit in a letter on Friday morning (22 August).
“I’m writing to let you know I’ve decided to step away from BrewDog and the wider alcohol industry for personal reasons,” he wrote. “This business has been my life for the last 18 years, and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute.
“I have been inspired by and loved working with and learning from so many interesting people who have worked in our business over the years from all over the world.”
Dickie’s departure marked “the end of an extraordinary chapter for BrewDog”, the brewer said in a statement.
He had “played a pivotal role in transforming the company from a small-scale brewery into a global leader in craft beer”, it noted.
There were, however, no changes to BrewDog’s leadership team as a result of his departure, it added.
Dickie’s ‘immeasurable’ contribution
James Taylor, BrewDog’s CEO, said Dickie’s contributions to BrewDog were “immeasurable”.
“Martin’s creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry,” he said. “We would like to thank him for his focus primarily on product quality, NPD, workplace safety and sustainable supplier relationships.
“Martin will always be part of the BrewDog family, and we wish him every success in the future.”
Dickie’s departure means neither of BrewDog’s two founders remain involved in the business, with Watt having stepped down as CEO in May 2024. Both retain significant ownership stakes, however.
In the early days of BrewDog, Dickie took primary responsibility for BrewDog’s brewing operations, with co-founder Watt overseeing marketing and sales and acting as the de facto spokesman for the business.
However, in recent years he – alongside master distiller Steven Kersley – was tasked with running BrewDog Distilling Co, the Aberdeenshire-based business’ spirits arm.
In this role he helped launch spirits such as Lonewolf Gin, Abstrakt Vodka and Duo Rum, as well as BrewDog’s Wonderland Cocktail Co range of RTD cocktails.
New cannabis venture
In July, Dickie revealed he had entered the market for medicinal cannabis with a new venture called Waterside Pharmaceuticals.
The startup secured a controlled drugs licence from the Home Office last year and is aiming to become the UK market leader in medical cannabis.
Its first harvest – from a farm near Newburgh, Aberdeenshire – is expected to yield up to 9kg of medical cannabis.
Dickie added: “Leaving BrewDog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family. It has been an honour to have worked with incredible, like-minded colleagues who live in a world of flavour and experimentation.
“Our hard work and passion is dedicated to bringing our customers a moment of beautiful escapism from the real world. In James Taylor and Lauren Carrol, BrewDog is in very strong hands and I will always remain a massive fan.”
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