Pennsylvania brewery uses voodoo for good, offers employees stock options

We think employee-owned businesses are basically badassical. This website has been employee owned since its 2013 premiere. We’ve had a few very enticing offers to sell and go corporate, but there’s something about the small, independent, worker-owned, worker-run business model that we connect with — and that’s part of what drew us to the craft brewing industry. Many breweries have taken this route (some have not), but luckily, we can add another employee-forward brewing brand to the mix. Voodoo Brewing Co., a Western Pennsylvanian artisan beer producer, just announced it’s introducing a new employee ownership program where eligible employees and staff will own stock in the company; Voodoo has 17 employees right now.

“We are excited to have our employees as part of our Voodoo Brewing ownership team,” said Voodoo Brewing Principal Jake Voelker. “We felt it was necessary to invest in our employees and staff to reward them for their dedication to our brand.”

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According to the press release, this move will make Voodoo Brewing one of the smallest employee-owned businesses in the country. Located in Pittsburgh’s revitalized Homestead neighborhood and Meadville, Pa., Voodoo Brewing offers a line of beers that are fun, flavorful and thought provoking. It’s one of many strategies that seems to be working.

“Since 2015, we have more than doubled our brewing capacity, opened a satellite pub in Pittsburgh’s revitalized Homestead neighborhood, launched our first food truck, designed and released new and proprietary packaging and expanded our distribution network to all counties in Pennsylvania, as well as, two new states,” said Voodoo Brewing’s Matteo (Matthew) Rachocki.