Benchmark Beverage Acquires Brew Detroit, Moves Business to Marshall

Livonia's Benchmark Beverage Co. is adding two Michigan breweries to its robust craft beer portfolio.

The company acquired Brew Detroit, a contract brewery in Corktown, in early February. Brew Detroit, which had produced specialty brews such as the Mexican lager Cerveza Delray, closed its taproom in late January.

Auday Arabo, president and CEO of Benchmark Beverage Co., did not explain the financial details of the sale but noted the company had purchased Brew Detroit's assets and equipment. At the end of 2024, Arabo reported to the Detroit Free Press that the company had also acquired Marshall's Roak Brewing Co., producer of Dark Horse beer.

In its acquisition of Brew Detroit, Benchmark Beverage moved Brew Detroit's operations to Marshall.

“We're keeping it Michigan, so that's the most important part, I think,” Arabo said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. “Brew Detroit, Great America, Roak, and Dark Horse will all be produced in Marshall. It's a nice go-between, between Detroit and Chicago.”

The acquisition of Brew Detroit is positioning Benchmark Beverage as a leader in Michigan's family-owned craft beer market amid a trend of consolidation within the craft beer industry. The Detroit Free Press noted that in recent years, multinational companies have purchased or acquired stakes in several Michigan craft brewers. These have included Founders Brewing Co., which sold a 90% majority stake in its business to Mahou San Miguel of Spain in 2019. In 2020, Molson Coors bought Detroit's Atwater Brewery and sold it in September 2024 to Tilray Brands.

Arabo added that Benchmark Beverage will continue to produce five of Brew Detroit's brands, including Cerveza Delray, Yum Town, Campin', and Cloud 19. The Cerveza Delray Oscura, a Mexican-style dark lager, will be renamed Negra Cerveza Delray.