Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • October 2018 (Revised September 2021)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

The Boston Beer Company (A): New CEO

By: Christina R. Wing and Marco Iansiti
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:22
ShareBar

Abstract

In 1984, when the Boston Beer Company’s Samuel Adams Boston Lager was first sold, founder Jim Koch had helped ignite a craft beer movement by making small-batch premium beers in an era of industry consolidation. By 2018, Boston Beer was a publicly traded company that continued to distinguish itself as a craft brewer while brewing millions of barrels per year and managing a diverse product portfolio including ciders and hard seltzers. That year, new CEO hire Dave Burwick faced a range of questions: (1) How to manage a company with a board chairman (Koch) whose name was synonymous with the company, and who continued to hold decisive voting control in the company’s dual-class stock structure, (2) How to balance Boston Beer’s commitment to craft beer quality with an increasingly sprawling portfolio, and (3) What specific changes to make to company operations to increase efficiency while maintaining focus on quality.

Keywords

Beer/brewing Industry; Succession; Leadership; Change; Supply Chain; Change Management; Entrepreneurship; Supply Chain Management; Management Succession; Food and Beverage Industry; United States; Boston

Citation

Wing, Christina R., and Marco Iansiti. "The Boston Beer Company (A): New CEO." Harvard Business School Case 619-021, October 2018. (Revised September 2021.)
  • Educators

About The Authors

Christina R. Wing

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

Marco Iansiti

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

Related Work

    • September 2021
    • Faculty Research

    The Boston Beer Company (B): Growth and Uncertainty

    By: Christina R. Wing and John Masko
    • October 2018 (Revised September 2021)
    • Faculty Research

    The Boston Beer Company (A): New CEO

    By: Christina R. Wing and Marco Iansiti
Related Work
  • The Boston Beer Company (B): Growth and Uncertainty By: Christina R. Wing and John Masko
  • The Boston Beer Company (A): New CEO By: Christina R. Wing and Marco Iansiti
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College