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Soft industry trends last yr didn't dampen outlook for Craft 'Ohana, makers of Maui beer and seltzers. Co's shipments finished the yr up 4.5%, prexy/coo Scott Metzger shared with Craft Brew News, with depletions just slightly behind. Maui posted solid single-digit gains in its core craft beer biz in home state of Hawaii, plus ongoing double-digit gains for its seltzer line, both in HI and on the mainland, Scott told us. That's a bit slower than mid-yr depletions gain of high-single-digits, as co's growth is offset by expected pullback from a set of less profitable markets and the usual bumpiness during distrib transition in co's core mainland mkt of Southern California, from Stone to Sunset. So co's trends in national off-premise retail don't look anywhere near as bright as its core biz suggests. Still, with shipments up mid-singles, Maui (now ex-Modern Times) is likely hovering around 90K bbls, we estimate, still clearly a top US craft brewer. And tho the private co doesn't share financial figs, Scott did note that it ended 2025 "with record revenue," up 10.5%.Seltzer Builds Strength at Home; Getting Gains at Price Premiums After passing Kona to become the #6 brand family in all of beer/cider/FMB in Hawaii off-premise scan data in mid-2025, Maui aims for more. Scott sees clear pathway to crack the top 5 if it's able to keep up momentum. Co's outperforming in the chain-focused data, beer $$ in its home state up 8.4% for 52 wks to Jan 4, while seltzer jumped 10.5%. As expected, Maui seltzer passed Truly to be "squarely number two" hard seltzer brand in the state, also passing Twisted Tea in the process, Scott noted. He knows folks feel like "that category is dead," but in his view, there "continues to be a lot of opportunity that is being vacated by smaller players" currently "fleeing the market."White Claw is up high single-digits in HI scans, he reported. And Maui seltzers sell at about a "15% premium on price per volume," yet "the premium price isn't hurting us at all." Similar story over on the beer side, according to Scott. Maui beers sit around $51 per case, around the likes of top craft brand fams New Belgium and Sierra Nevada in the (comparatively expensive) mkt. But "no one else" comes close to that price point. And again, Maui is clear leader among craft suppliers in home state, still getting strong gains: "top of the category pricing with top of category growth," Scott commented.More Growth "a Matter of Execution" Expect Craft 'Ohana to keep plugging away at the same playbook as it works to keep up its growth: going deeper at home, focusing only on profitable mkts on the mainland and maintaining price premiums to key competitors. Co's not "super eager to fill" what Scott sees as "probably the biggest gap" in its biz: more "budget-focused" channels, which are "not really" spots "brands our size are well equipped to compete in."So tho co's not aiming to go toe-to-toe with the Mich Ultra's of the world, for instance, "we're not lacking for brand strength or interest in the brand," Scott finds. Still, ongoing growth for Maui seltzers has "proven we can succeed" if co focuses on execution and is able to "put the full strength of our brand behind it," Scott observed. "If we're going to come out with a new brand and lean into what works for us," it'll be "deliberate," he explained. Co invested heavily in its facility and capabilities, so aims to "take advantage of the moment," Scott said, as it works at "fully maximizing all the opportunities that are fully consistent with our brand DNA."Not quite ready to share the details yet, Maui does have "one big innovation" it'll announce and roll out in the next few mos, Scott hinted. But achieving its goals this yr will be "a matter of execution," staying focused, "keeping our wholesaler inventories full." Tho sometimes tough for craft brewers built on experimentation and innovation, Scott preaches "keeping the simple things simple" and "avoiding the temptation to make things more complicated."

Up Strong at Home, Maui Eyes Top-5 Brand Fam in HI with "Top of the Category Pricing" and Growth

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