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Bell’s founder retires, sells brewery

Kalamazoo River by ruifo is licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

Bell’s founder Larry Bell says he is retiring and selling the brewery. In a video released today, Bell says he made the decision after what he called a “couple of health issues.” The new owner, Lion, an Australian-based brewer, bought New Belgium Brewing of Colorado in 2019. Bell’s executive vice-president Carrie Yunker says the sale.

“Will not affect employment in Kalamazoo, or operations. Our brewery has been built for the long haul.”

Larry Bell says Lion shares Bell’s values, including a commitment to sustainability, and local philanthropy. Bell launched the brewery in 1985. The company is not disclosing the terms of the sale.