Jason, Travis Kelce buy stake in Columbus-based beer brand
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Jason and Travis Kelce, who are already partners with a Columbus-based apparel company, are also now the co-owners of central Ohio craft beer brand.
The NFL star brothers announced last week they are taking on new roles as significant investors and operators of Garage Beer, a brewing company sold in several states and headquartered in Columbus. The pair have been in talks with the brand for several years, and will now be "involved in every aspect of the business" from brewing and distribution to sales and marketing.
"People crave quality and simplicity, and Garage Beer nails both for me," said Jason, a former center for the Philadelphia Eagles, in a release. "We are light beer drinkers and Garage is the best light beer. For me, the brand fits my lifestyle, and having a few beers is a great excuse to get the neighbors together."
Garage Beer was founded in Cincinnati, where the Kelce brothers both played college football for the University of Cincinnati. Beyond Ohio, the brand's beer is sold in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, West Virginia, Idaho, Montana and New Jersey, with plans to expand into new states later this year.
"I think everyone knows I like to have a couple beers now and then, so being an owner of Garage Beer and heavily involved in making the best light beer is exciting," said Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs' tight end, in a release. "There is nothing better to bring people together than an ice-cold beer, and for Jason and me that is what beer is all about -- friends, family and fun."
While Garage Beer marks the first time the brothers are operating a business together, the pair already collaborates with Columbus-based Homage as the official apparel partner of their "New Heights" podcast. Taylor Swift, Travis' girlfriend, helped skyrocket Homage's sales after she was seen wearing a "New Heights" hat at the Coachella music festival.
"The 'New Heights' Dad hat spiked a staggering 170x when Swift was spotted wearing it at Weekend One of the Coachella music fest in Indio, California," a company spokesperson told NBC4 at the time. "The company has restocked inventory now four times."
Less than a month later, Homage announced it landed an investor known for Marvel's "Deadpool" movies: Ryan Reynolds. The brand received a round of capital from the actor's Maximum Effort Investments, a firm that "makes movies, TV series, content, ads, and cocktails for the personal amusement of [Reynolds]." Maximum's other projects include the "Deadpool" movies, a gin distillery and Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC.