Stone Brewing appoints bi-coastal leaders

Stone Brewing is ramping up for major expansion as it undergoes acquisition by Sapporo USA. The number-one-selling Asian beer in the U.S. plans to move all of its production for the U.S. market to Stone’s breweries, doubling Stone’s current production. In preparation for the growth, Stone has promoted from within. Nicole Williams (Escondido, CA) and Robert Kuntz (Richmond, VA) will oversee the entire brewing, packaging, maintenance, engineering, and water operations of their respective facilities.  

“Sapporo was attracted to Stone for our advanced, bi-coastal brewery operations, and to adopt our incredible team,” explained Stone CEO Maria Stipp. “They will entrust our team with their beers, and we already have the talent they need right here in our breweries. We have big plans to build out physical capacity and meet the production goals of both Sapporo and Stone. We’re thrilled to be promoting from within and to have Nicole Williams and Robert Kuntz leading us into this exciting time.”

Nicole Williams has assumed the role of Sr. Director, Brewing Operations for Stone Brewing – Escondido. Since joining Stone in 2018, Nicole has been driving reliability, efficiency, and capital improvements as a Brewery Process Engineer and most recently as the Sr. Manager, Maintenance and Engineering. She has been instrumental in the expansion of Stone’s brewery capabilities including the leadership, design and installation of projects to enhance efficiency and improve Stone’s sustainability efforts. Williams is a natural leader with a team-first mentality and a tireless commitment to safety.

Robert Kuntz is now Sr. Director, Brewing Operations for Stone Brewing – Richmond, VA. In his prior role as Head Brewer in RVA, Robert had a razor-sharp focus on quality and consistency in the brewing process. He joined stone in 2019. In 2021, Robert completed his Master Level qualifications from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling to achieve his Master Brewer certification. Stone Brewing – Richmond was built to brew up to 700,000 barrels of beer per year but is not yet built out to full capacity. Kuntz will oversee capital investments as the brewery expands to support Sapporo’s production.

Stone’s bi-coastal Director of Brewing Operations roles are essential in scaling the brewery’s award-winning beers to match the brewery, Tap Room and Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens experiences for fans at home. Williams and Kuntz work in partnership with a team of brewers responsible for Stone’s beer development. Stone operates small batch breweries for the purpose of innovation at Stone Brewing – Escondido, Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station (San Diego) and soon, Stone Brewing – Richmond. In the coming months, Kuntz will lead the installation and management of Stone’s newest small-batch system in Richmond, VA, which will allow Stone’s East Coast team to play a larger role in Stone’s innovation pipeline.  

Stone and Sapporo anticipate brewing a combined approximately 720,000 barrels of beer by the end of 2024. Stone’s total barrelage in 2021 was just over 360,000 barrels. The brewery anticipates an additional $20-$40 million in capital investment into its Richmond, VA brewery and $10-$20 in Escondido, CA. While taking on the production of Sapporo beers for the U.S., Stone will continue brewing its award-winning beers just as before, with the same passionate team.