The vacant MillerCoors plant in Eden, North Carolina, has been sold for US$2.75 million to D.H. Griffin, a local demolition and site development company, only two month after a lawsuit of MillerCoors and Pabst Brewing Company had been settled.
In September 2015 MillerCoors closed its Eden, N.C., brewery as a way to "optimize our brewery footprint and streamline operations for greater efficiency," as Fernando Palacios, MillerCoors' Executive Vice President, said at that time.
In March 2016 Pabst sued MillerCoors for $400 million claiming a contract breach as a consequence of the plant closure and disputes about the future of Pabst and MillerCoors' distribution partnership. Should MillerCoors not extend the contract past 2020, Pabst would have to find or build new brewing capacities, which is not easy considering the high volumes of the Pabst brands. (inside.beer, 17.6.2018)
According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Pabst CEO Eugene Kashper attempted to buy the Eden facility for US$100 million after MillerCoors announced the closure, but MillerCoors countered with a prohibitive offer of US$750 million.
The lawsuit was ultimately settled in November and a Pabst spokesperson said in a statement that “Pabst will continue to offer Pabst Blue Ribbon and the rest of our authentic, great tasting and affordable brews to all Americans for many, many years to come.” (inside.beer, 29.11.2018)
The former brewery site included a 1,600 acre parcel, offices, production, packaging, warehousing and utilities space.
