Funky Buddha Brewery

Funky Buddha Brewery is a large brewery headquartered in Oakland Park, Florida.[6]

Funky Buddha
Seated buddha in circle with the words Funky Buddha Brewery below
TypeCraft brewery
Location1201 NE 38th St., Oakland Park, Florida 33334
Opened2010 (2010)
Key peopleRyan Sentz, Giana Sentz, KC Sentz
Annual production volume27,000 US beer barrels (32,000 hL)[1][note 1]
Employees130[1][note 2]
ParentConstellation Brands
Websitefunkybuddhabrewery.com
Active beers
Name Type
Floridian Hefeweizen
Hopgun IPA India pale ale
Seasonal beers
Name Type
Last Snow Porter
Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Porter
More Moro Blood Orange IPA India Pale Ale[3]
Nib Smuggler Porter[4]
Sweet Potato Casserole Strong ale[5]

The early years

It started when a Florida couple bought small brewhouse, hookah lounge and live music venue in Boca Raton, Florida in 2006.[7] On February 5, 2010, founders Ryan and Giana Sentz moved to another location and began brewing their own beers in September.[10] The new location, also in Boca Raton, was named Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery.[11] In 2012, Funky Buddha announced it would begin using the Cigar City Brewing system to brew and bottle their beer and begin distribution.[12] In the same year they opened a homebrew supply store at the lounge and brewery.[13] The Boca Raton location has a 55 US gallon (210 L) brewhouse.[7] It was the second production brewery to open in Broward and Palm Beach counties, following Due South Brewing.[11] Funky Buddha's success "helped pave the way for what is now a thriving local brew scene".[11]

Growth

In 2013, with the help of his brother KC Sentz, Ryan Sentz opened a second location and production facility in Oakland Park.[7] The Oakland Park location is a 40,000 square foot (3,700 m2) building with a 3,000 square foot (280 m2) taproom with 30 draft lines.[7][note 3] Each year since 2013 the brewery has released a limited edition brew, Undefeated Saison. It is released once every National Football League team has lost a game in the current season to commemorate that the Miami Dolpins undefeated season of 1972 remains unmatched.[15]

In 2014, Funky Buddha's Floridian was available at 400 restaurants in South Florida.[16] At that time Floridian accounted for half of the beer the brewery made and sold.[16] Celebrity Cruises announced a four-day Funky Buddha Craft Beer Cruise in 2014 scheduled for March 2015.[17] In 2015 the brewery sold 19,500 US beer barrels (22,900 hL) making it a "regional" facility as designated by the Brewers Association.[18] Also that year Funky Buddha's distribution expanded to include North Florida.[19]

Sale

As of 2017 Funky Buddha was the largest brewer and most popular tap room in Florida based on dollar sales.[20] The brewery is known for its Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and Hopgun IPA beers.[20] On August 10, 2017 it was announced that Constellation Brands had bought Funky Buddha for an undisclosed price.[21] Ryan and KC Sentz will continue to run day-to-day operations.[1] After celebrating its 7th anniversary,[22] the original Boca Raton Funky Buddha Lounge was sold to Allen Steen in 2017 and rebranded Robot Brewing Co.[23] Reported in Constellation Brands’ 2018 annual report, Funky Buddha and Schrader Cellars wines are noted in a combined acquisition cost for $149 million dollars.[24] Wine Spectator later learned the purchase acquisition cost for the Schrader Cellars wine portion was approximately $60 million leaving approximately $80-$90 million attributable to the Funky Buddha acquisition.[25]

In 2023, Funky Buddha was reacquired by Ryan and KC Sentz from Constellation for an undisclosed price and the brewery celebrated its 10 year anniversary.[26][27]

Awards

References

Notes
  1. d'Oliveira 2017 gives annual production as 45,000 US beer barrels (53,000 hL).[2]
  2. d'Oliveira 2017 wrote the brewery employs 140.
  3. d'Oliveira 2017 states the Oakland Park facility is 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2). As of December 2017 the Funky Buddha Brewery website gives a figure of 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2).[14]

Citations
  1. Valys, Phillip (August 11, 2017). "Funky Buddha hops into big beer biz - Sale to large firm won't kill local vibe, brewery owners say". News. Sun-Sentinel. Ron Hurtibise (contributor) (1 PN ed.). Broward Co., FL. p. 1.
  2. d'Oliveira, Michael (August 18, 2017). "Recent sale of Funky Buddha makes some customers nervous, but all's well". News. The Pelican. Pompano Beach, FL. p. 16.
  3. Grant, Justin (July 1, 2015). "Funky Buddha More Moro Blood Orange IPA". Lifestyle. Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, FL. p. 5E.
  4. "Best Brewery: Funky Buddha Brewery". Special. Sun-Sentinel (1 SB ed.). Broward Co., FL. December 3, 2017. p. 3.
  5. Pera, Eric (October 11, 2017). "99 Bottles: Drink up Sweet Potato Strong Ale before the holiday". News. The Ledger. Lakeland, FL.
  6. "Florida Breweries". brewersassociation.org. Brewers Association. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  7. Hutto, Emily (February 29, 2016). "Breakout Brewer: Funky Buddha". Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017.
  8. Sweeney, Dan (March 3, 2010). "Where there's hookah smoke, there's fire - To get to South Florida's best new concert venue, follow the scent of guava tobacco". CityLink. Sun-Sentinel (Broward Metro ed.). Broward Co., FL. p. 7.
  9. Gimpel, Vannessa (September 27, 2010). "South Florida's newest brewpub opens". Lake Worth Craft Beer Examiner. West Palm Beach Examiner.
  10. (Hutto 2016); (Danna 2017); (Sweeney 2010);[8] (Gimpel 2010).[9]
  11. Ventiera, Sara (November 15, 2016). "Funky Buddha's Ryan Sentz is a bit freaked out by his brewery's success". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016.
  12. Shaw, Alan (January 5, 2012). "Bright spots in craft beer for new year". Sec. E. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. FL. p. E42.
  13. Crandell, Ben (February 3, 2012). "A reprieve for 'world famous' treasure trove". Showtime. Sun Sentinel (Broward Metro ed.). Broward Co., FL. p. 8.
  14. "About Us". funkybuddhabrewery.com. Funky Buddha Brewery. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  15. Yousefi, Ryan (October 16, 2017). "Funky Buddha beer release celebrates the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins". Restaurants. Miami New Times.
  16. Balmaseda, Liz (August 7, 2014). "Sample more than 150 beers at Palm Beach Beer Fest". Business News. Palm Beach Post. West Palm Beach, FL.
  17. Bates, Joe (November 2014). "Beer steers steady course". Duty-Free News International. Vol. 28, no. 11. pp. 36 ff.
  18. Fairall, Doug (June 2, 2016). "Funky Buddha Brewery turns three June 11, takes over Jaco Pastorius Park". Broward Palm Beach New Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2016.
  19. Bull, Roger; Stansel, Ed (August 26, 2015). "Amber Waves: Good gourd, it's too early for pumpkins, so let's get Funky". Business News. Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville, FL.
  20. "Constellation Brands acquires Funky Buddha". What's Brewing. All About Beer. Vol. 38, no. 4. Research Triangle Park, NC. September 2017. p. 12.
  21. "Constellation's Chicago-based beer business buys Florida's Funky Buddha Brewery". Business. Chicago Tribune. August 10, 2017. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017.
  22. Danna, Nicole (October 6, 2017). "Funky Buddha Lounge celebrates seventh anniversary this weekend". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on October 6, 2017.
  23. Danna, Nicole (June 4, 2018). "Boca Raton's Robot Brewing Co. Purchases Original Funky Buddha Lounge". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  24. Constellation Brands 2018 annual report
  25. Wine Spectator
  26. "'We wanted our baby back': Funky Buddha founders to buy back brewery, celebrate 10 years & upgrade with distillery". Sun Sentinel. May 31, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  27. Buddha, Funky. "FUNKY BUDDHA BREWERY REACQUIRES COMPANY FROM CONSTELLATION BRANDS". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  28. Fairall, Doug (May 10, 2016). "Funky Buddha Brewery wins gold in 2016 World Beer Cup". Broward Palm Beach New Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2016.
  29. Habuda, Meaghan (October 10, 2017). "Here's how Florida did at the Great American Beer Festival - Seven local breweries took home accolades from the big-deal Denver event's beer competition". Food-Drink. Creative Loafing. Tampa, FL.

Further reading

Official website

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