The Importance of Collaboration for Craft Brands
Anyone from Maine knows that rugged self-determination is the throughline that defines the New England spirit. It’s this intrepid predisposition that might cause a person to do something insane like founding a craft brewery or distillery. It’s certainly not an enterprise for the faint of heart. Making a craft product is a labor of love, especially if you are committed to completing as much of the process as possible independently. Despite the Yankee individualism inherent to most brewers and distillers in Maine, I would posit that collaboration is an important element to achieving success for a burgeoning craft brand.
Wiggly Bridge Distillery in York, Maine, certainly embodies the independent spirit. Owned and operated by a father-son duo, the distillery is a family business through and through. Owners Dave and David Woods even built the distillery’s copper stills by hand. It’s always an honor to be recognized when the fruits of these labors pay off. That recognition has come in the form of many accolades from spirits awards committees and, more importantly, a robust and loyal fanbase. But one way the distillery’s success manifests is through collaboration requests from other brands and organizations.
Collaborations involving Wiggly Bridge have taken many forms. The distillery and Baxter Brewing recently combined forces to craft a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine, a release that brought together two distinct craft traditions under one roof and introduced each brand’s loyal following to something they couldn’t have found anywhere else. These types of partnerships extend the reach of both brands by appealing to new audiences who might’ve only been peripherally familiar with either Wiggly Bridge or Baxter before their exposure to the collaboration’s final product.
Wiggly Bridge also produced a specialty bottle in partnership with Boston sports radio personality Greg Hill, whose Greg Hill Foundation has raised millions of dollars for families facing hardship across New England. That kind of collaboration does double duty. It puts the brand in front of a wide and loyal audience while anchoring it to something that genuinely matters. Finally, on a more foundational level, Wiggly Bridge sources its raw ingredients from local farmers and producers, treating the supply chain itself as a form of collaboration, one that strengthens the agricultural roots of the craft it practices.
At Baxter, we recognize ourselves in that approach. Collaboration isn’t a concession to the limits of independence. It’s an expression of confidence in what you’ve built and curiosity about what you could build with others. Whether it’s a barrel-aged release with a York distillery, a malt partnership with a Maine farm, or a community event that brings our neighbors through the door, the best things we make tend to involve more than one set of hands. That’s not a departure from the Maine ethos. That’s the Maine ethos, fully realized.
