Equity Punk Community? It’s not Finance 101 for punk rockers, it’s about beer. Beer shares.
BrewDog, the Scottish-based craft beer company known for its high-octane brew, has gathered a mass of 55,000 small investors they refer to as “Equity Punks” to share in their profits. Today, the fastest growing food and beverage company in the UK announced that they will be giving away 20% of their annual profits, every year.
BrewDog’s 1,000+ employees will receive up to 10% of the profits, while the other 10% will go to charities selected by employees and shareholders. This is no chump change, as co-founder James Watt’s projected profits see BrewDog giving away over $58 million in the next five years alone.
Announcing this new initiative called the Unicorn Fund, Watt proudly stated, “At BrewDog, we care about two things above all else; our beer and our people. We want to make the best beers on the planet, we want to be the best company to work for, and we want to build a radically new type of business that we can all be proud of.”
The brewery has seen its fair share of controversy. In 2009, the UK alcohol industry banned their beer called Speedball, saying it promoted the use of the drug combination (heroin and cocaine) that killed celebrities including John Belushi and River Phoenix. They’ve been called irresponsible for creating beers such as “Nanny State,” the UK’s “strongest beer”, “Tokyo” with an alcohol content of 18.2%, and Tactical Nuclear Penguin with 32% alcohol.
BrewDog loves a publicity opportunity. During Britain’s June general election, they did their part to increase voter turn out. Anyone with a photo of him/herself voting got a free Punk IPA. They offered paid time off to “parents” of newborn puppies. And they’ve announced plans to build a craft brew bar that’s half in the U.S., half in Mexico. Stand by to see what will happen to the brewery if Trump’s wall comes to fruition!
For now, if you want a Punk IPA, Dead Pony Club, Jet Black Heart, or Elvis Juice, you can order online. Or if you’re in the mood for a roadtrip, the company recently opened a brew pub in Columbus, Ohio. Or…buy your own Punk IPA homebrew kit.