Investors led by Dr. Henning Kreke, board chairman of Düsseldorf–based beauty retailer Douglas GmbH and a graduate of the University of Texas, acquired a minority stake in the San Antonio, Tex., distillery.
The investment provides Rebecca Creek Distillery with $15 million of new capital to boost production, increase capacity, enhance marketing, create new jobs, and move forward with plans to build a brand-new, state-of-the-art distillery that will more than quadruple its current production capability.
We are very proud to become a reliable and strong long-term partner as a minority shareholder in Rebecca Creek Distillery and will support the company with additional distribution expertise and financial resources to ensure its continued growth,” said Kreke.
Founded in 2009, Rebecca Creek Distillery’s case sales have grown exponentially year-after-year since inception. By the end of 2018, the distillery plans to produce more than 100,000 annual cases of its flagship, award-winning Rebecca Creek Fine Texas Whiskey, as well as Enchanted Rock Vodka, Texas Ranger Whiskey, and other limited-edition, single-batch spirits. The distillery’s spirits lineup has received numerous medals and awards, including platinum and gold medals from the SIP Awards International Spirits Competition, double-gold medals in The Fifty Best Spirits Competition, and a rating of 93 points from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.
“We founded Rebecca Creek Distillery with the goal of producing award-winning, ultra-premium whiskeys and vodkas straight from the Texas Hill Country,” said Steve Ison, chief executive officer and founder of Rebecca Creek Distillery. “In order to expand our production and portfolio, we needed the right partner to take us to the next level of growth. Dr. Henning Kreke has made this commitment, and with his expertise and support, we look forward to bringing our Texas spirits to the rest of the world…but with the exact same team and exceptional product quality.”
Rebecca Creek’s core management team consisting of John Morrow, Matt Appleby, Seth Richardson and Steve Ison — who founded the distillery in 2009 — will remain the same, and it will continue to operate out of its existing 26605 Bulverde Road location in San Antonio. Plans for the construction of a new, larger distillery, tasting room, and private event center are in-the-works and will be announced soon, with a slated opening date of mid-2018.