Eastern Market Brewing Co. plans statewide distribution this summer

Eastern Market Brewing Co. is moving to put its core beers in front of drinkers across Michigan for the first time, the Detroit brewery announced in late April. The company said it has opened a formal search among several of the state's largest brewing facilities for a contract production partner that would take over volume on its flagship brands, led by Elephant Juice.

The brewery laid out a fast timeline in its announcement. It expected to select a partner in May, begin production in June, and launch statewide distribution this summer.

Founder Dayne Bartscht framed the move as the payoff on years of building a self-distribution operation that the brewery ran on its own.

"For years, our self-distribution business has been our most important competitive advantage," Bartscht said in the company's announcement. "This is the moment that investment pays off. The rights to our brands statewide have significant value, and we structured this expansion accordingly."

Elephant Juice, the New England style IPA that has been the brewery's best seller, leads the rollout. The company said the shift to contract brewing is expected to increase production of that beer alone to roughly seven times its current volume, a jump it said could put Eastern Market among the five largest breweries in Michigan. Wunderboi, the light beer that tops sales at the taproom, and Detroit-Style, the brewery's fastest-growing brand, follow. Pineapple Market Day IPA is slated to join the statewide lineup next spring.

Contract brewing is a common next step for a Michigan brewery that has outgrown what it can produce and move on its own. A larger partner brews the volume under contract while the home brewery keeps its recipes and its brand. Eastern Market did not name a partner in the announcement.

The arrangement is separate from the brewery's other label, the Ferndale Project. That experimental brand, which Eastern Market launched in 2020, signed its own statewide distribution deal in June 2025 with Imperial Beverage, the Kalamazoo-based wholesaler founded in 1933. The new contract brewing plan covers the Eastern Market Brewing Co. brands rather than the Ferndale Project line.

Eastern Market opened its taproom on Russell Street in Detroit's Eastern Market district in 2017. The expansion would carry its beers well beyond the limited Michigan territory it has reached through self-distribution since.