Who owns Founders Brewing Co.?
Founders Brewing Co. is owned by Mahou San Miguel (Spain), which has owned the brand since 2019.[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Mahou San Miguel — Nosotros (history and key figures). Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Mahou San Miguel reported
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇪🇸 Spain, Madrid
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Grand Rapids
- Founded
- 1997 by Mike Stevens, Dave Engbers
- Category
- Beverages › Beer › Ale
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Founders Brewing Co.
Founders Brewing Co. was founded in 1997 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, and is known for All Day IPA, Dirty Bastard and the barrel-aged KBS stout. Mahou San Miguel bought 30 per cent in 2014, became majority shareholder in 2019 and completed its purchase of 100 per cent in 2025. In 2023 Founders integrated with Avery into Mahou USA.
Ownership timeline of Founders Brewing Co.
- 2019 – present Mahou San Miguel [1] reported
Where Founders Brewing Co. sits in Mahou San Miguel
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Mahou San Miguel ownership tree →
See the full Mahou San Miguel brand portfolio (8) →
Other brands owned by Mahou San Miguel
Mahou San Miguel controls 8 brands on Brandtree, 8 of them in beverages.
Also in beverages
- Alhambra (1925)
- Avery Brewing Company (1993)
- Mahou (1890)
- Nómada Brewing (2011)
- Reina
- San Miguel (1957)
- Solán de Cabras
Other brands in ale, and who owns them
The 62 brands in ale on Brandtree belong to 32 owners. The largest is Duvel Moortgat, with 7; Mahou San Miguel has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Birrificio del Ducato | Duvel Moortgat | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| Bishops Finger | Shepherd Neame | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
| Farsons Blue Label | Farsons | 🇲🇹 Malta |
| Lagunitas | Heineken | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| Franziskaner | AB InBev | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
| Fuller's London Pride | Asahi Group | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| Dogfish Head | Boston Beer | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Belikin Stout | Bowen & Bowen | 🇧🇿 Belize |
About the owner: Mahou San Miguel
Mahou San Miguel is a privately held company headquartered in Madrid, Spain, founded in 1890. Brandtree records 8 brands under its control.
Mahou San Miguel is a family-owned, independent Spanish beer and beverage company whose history starts in 1890, when the Mahou family opened the El Barril brewery on Calle Amaniel in Madrid. It bought San Miguel in 2000, Alhambra in 2007 and Solán de Cabras in 2011, and completed full ownership of US craft brewers Founders and Avery in 2025. Revenue was EUR 1,895.6 million in 2025. It has more than 4,400 staff and 31 per cent of Spanish beer production, and it also produces and distributes AB InBev brands in Spain, which it does not own.
Mahou San Miguel: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Founders Brewing Co. and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,570 brands that began in the United States. 501 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country, Founders Brewing Co. among them.
- 7UP — PepsiCo 🇺🇸
- 7UP (United States) — Keurig Dr Pepper 🇺🇸
- Alani Nu — Celsius Holdings 🇺🇸
- André — Gallo 🇺🇸
- Angry Orchard — Boston Beer 🇺🇸
- Apple & Eve — Lassonde 🇨🇦
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Founders Brewing Co.?
The parent company of Founders Brewing Co. is Mahou San Miguel, a privately held company headquartered in Spain.
Is Founders Brewing Co. American or Spanish?
Founders Brewing Co. originated in the United States in 1997, but it is owned today by Mahou San Miguel, which is headquartered in Spain. So Founders Brewing Co. is an American-origin brand under Spanish ownership.
Since when has Mahou San Miguel owned Founders Brewing Co.?
Mahou San Miguel has owned Founders Brewing Co. since 2019.
Is Founders Brewing Co. still owned by Mahou San Miguel?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Founders Brewing Co. is still owned by Mahou San Miguel. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Mahou San Miguel — Nosotros (history and key figures) — Mahou San Miguel, Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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