By Ron Devlin, Pottsville, Pennsylvania’s Republican & Herald (TNS)
POTTSVILLE More than half of the nation will soon be able to purchase Yuengling beer, but according to its chief administrator, there are currently no plans to expand statewide.
Wendy Yuengling stated on Thursday, the day after the Pottsville brewery announced its January expansion into Illinois, that “we don’t feel the need to be in every state in the country.” We don’t currently have any plans to become a national or worldwide brand.
America’s oldest brewery is keeping its options open as it looks to the future while sticking to the D.G. Yuengling & Son method, a conservative approach refined over 195 years in business.
According to Wendy, we have always operated in a very methodical and rigorous manner. We are constantly considering what is best for the future generation.
The brewery was started in 1829 while Andrew Jackson was president, and Wendy and her sisters Jennifer, Debbie, and Sheryl are the sixth generation of Yuenglings to oversee it.
According to her, the company has always been run by fathers to sons, but this is the first time four women are in charge of it. And we take great pride in that.
However, their father, President Richard Dick Yuengling, left his mark on their corporate strategy.
Dick is still involved with the firm and makes two daily trips to the Mill Creek and Pottsville buildings. He arrives at the breweries early in the morning and leaves in the evening. He is at the Yuengling museum and gift store on Mahantongo Street at noon, which is across from the historic brewery.
The future of the brewery was unclear when he purchased it from the family in 1985.
“It was a completely different business when Dad took over,” Wendy added. We were having trouble.
According to the trade journal Beer Marketer’s Insights, Yuengling now produces 2.7 million barrels annually in Pottsville, Mill Creek, and its Tampa facility, forty years later.
According to Beer Marketer’s Insights, production rose 16% in 2023, placing Yuengling as the ninth-largest producer in the nation with a 1.4% market share.
On Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, cases of canned Yuengling Traditional Lager are piled in the warehouse of the D.G. Yuengling & Son Brewery Mill Creek facility. (Photo courtesy of Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald via AP)AP photo of Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald
Wendy credits her father’s launch of Yuengling Lager, an amber brew that merged with the craft brewery movement, with the company’s success. As beer consumption has changed, Flight, a low-calorie beer, has been introduced to keep up.
“We have listened to the direction of the market,” she remarked. It’s critical to remain aware of customer preferences.
Wendy stated that Yuengling will keep an eye out for expansion prospects, but cautiously.
The company’s growth into the Midwest, Texas, and now Illinois was based on establishing relationships with retailers and finding reliable distribution partners.
“We care more about doing it correctly,” Wendy stated. Our father taught us that in order to ensure the company’s long-term viability for the next generation, we must always make decisions with great discipline.
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