Sprecher Brewing

In 1985, after a stint as a brewing supervisor for Pabst, Randal Sprecher decided to start his own operation. He founded Sprecher Brewing in Milwaukee, becoming the city's first craft brewery since Prohibition. The playbook was simple: make German-style beers for a local audience, using hand-built equipment to keep costs down. A key product wasn't even a beer. To accommodate kids on brewery tours, Randy Sprecher created a fire-brewed root beer. That root beer, sweetened with local honey, became a massive hit, eventually outselling all the company's beers combined. The company’s trajectory shifted significantly in 2020. Randal Sprecher, ready for retirement, sold the brewery to a group of local Milwaukee investors led by Sharad Chadha. It was important to the founder that the company remained in local hands. The new ownership group saw the immense potential in the craft soda side of the business. Under this new leadership, Sprecher invested in expanding its distribution and production capacity. The strategy also included acquiring other beverage brands, such as Ooh La Lemin Lemonade and the energy drink Juvee, diversifying its portfolio beyond its famous root beer and craft ales.