Following 10 amazing years, which saw them as one of the pioneers of turning Brookvale’s gritty industrial hub into a thriving brewery precinct in Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Kerrie Abba and Johnny Latta have put Nomad Brewing Co up for sale.
One of the main reasons Kerrie and Johnny set up Nomad Brewing Co was to help change the landscape of beer in Australia after being turned onto a world of diverse styles on their European travels. In turn, Nomad has consistently been as innovative as beer gets here, by dishing up styles, and utilising ingredients that are anything but your everyday fare.
“Brewing beers back in 2014, we had to convince people that craft beer really could be pink, fruited, sour, hazy or hoppy, which are all the norm now,” says Kerrie. “Back when brewpubs really weren’t a thing and when only bearded hipsters drank that fancy ‘boutique’ beer we were out there educating and convincing people it isn’t fancy, it just tastes bloody great!”
The decision to put Nomad on the market comes just shy of the brewery’s 10th anniversary, which is in July. It’s a decision that the pair have made as a family, with Johnny following a long-time dream to join the army (because, what else do you when you turn 50!?), and Kerrie looking to spend more time enjoying the country lifestyle in Mudgee, where they operate their second brewery and brewpub, Three Tails.
Speaking to Beer & Brewer, Kerrie said that the past 10 years have been a wild ride, where they have proudly remained fiercely independent – even refusing an offer of a buyout by one of the majors at one stage.
“We will always and only support independent craft beer,” she says.
“It’s been a great journey; we’ve had fun with the great people in this industry and our punters. We were one of the first to regularly use Australian natives in our core range, introduced new styles, won awards, exported, and had great collaborations with the likes of Dogfish Head, Stone, Victory, Beavertown, Kylie Kwong, Iron Maiden, and many others.
“While it has been an incredible ride for us our paths are now changing and it’s time to step away from our beloved brewery.”
The Nomad brewery and bar is currently on the market through Merchant Brokers for $1.85 million, and Kerrie and Johnny are hoping for a buyer that will take the reins and keep driving it into the future.
With a large state-of-the art production facility, ongoing brew contracts, 200+ person venue space 36 taps across two bars located in the heart of the Brookvale Brewing precinct, Nomad has massive potential for anyone that wants to take it to the next level or expand on current brewing activities.
“While this chapter finishes and we hand over the baton, we’re still committed to the industry and independence through Three Tails in Mudgee, and our distribution business Crafted Beverages, which continues to deliver the world’s best brewers into the local market and only supports independent brewers,” says Kerrie.
“We are fiercely independent with few people knowing we refused an offer of a buyout by ABInBev many years ago as we feared the repercussions to the industry of this trend of sell outs.
“As we look forward, while there have been challenges in the industry of late, we truly believe that the future is looking bright for the independent craft beer industry. With more punters than ever choosing to drink at their local brewery rather than the local pub, more people knowing the difference between a pale ale and an IPA, and of course the thing that makes me truly happy – more people drinking sour beer – things are looking up.
“So, for us we’re selling a little piece of our involvement in the industry but remain committed to supporting and driving this industry that we are incredibly proud to be a part of and fiercely loyal to the fight to stay independent. So, we’ll sell up, not out!”