The latest craft brewing star to join the Constellation Brands portfolio of beer brands is Funky Buddha, which has become the fastest-growing craft beer brand in the entire state of Florida. The acquisition of Funky Buddha is all part of a larger strategy by Constellation Brands to dominate the high-end beer segment in the United States.

Funky Buddha produces bold craft beers made with high quality ingredients. It has an award-winning portfolio led by Floridian Hefeweizen and Hop Gun IPA. Funky Buddha joins Constellation’s Craft & Specialty Beer Group in the beer division.

As with most craft beers, there’s a great family story of how the craft brewery grew to prominence. Funky Buddha Lounge & Brewery was founded in 2010 in Boca Raton, Florida, by husband and wife Ryan and Giani Sentz. As the demand for Funky Buddha’s beers skyrocketed, Ryan and Giani invited Ryan's brother KC Sentz, and his wife Melissa Sentz, to join the business.

In 2013, the Sentz family started Funky Buddha Brewery, located in the heart of Oakland Park’s burgeoning Culinary Arts District. At 54,000 square feet, Funky Buddha Brewery is South Florida’s largest craft microbrewery by size and volume, and is Florida’s busiest tap room by beer sales.

The deal with Constellation comes after what many industry analysts have described as a “breakout year” for the company in 2016. That’s when Funky Buddha Brewery received five gold medals in RateBeer's Best Awards and the team leading the brewery was named as one of the “Top 100 Brewers” in the nation.

When it came to the “Best Beers by Style” category, Funky Buddha dominated the Imperial Porter category with three gold medals for Morning Wood, Wide Awake It’s Morning, and Last Buffalo in the Park. Maple Bacon Coffee Porter and Last Snow Coconut Coffee Porter both received gold medals in the “Best Beers by Style” Porter category. Maple Bacon Coffee Porter also was a winner of the “World Beer Cup 2016” Gold Medal in the Specialty Beer category.

“We chose to partner with Constellation because we saw an alignment in vision and felt they gave us the greatest opportunity for growth and development,” said Funky Buddha Head Brewer and President Ryan Sentz. “Constellation and Funky Buddha share a lot of the same ideals and passion for philanthropy, entrepreneurship and the art of craft beer. At the end of the day, we just really like the people we have met within the organization, each of whom share our dedication to making outstanding beer.”

Constellation Brands, too, is excited about what the new partnership means for the company’s premium beer strategy. “Adding a fantastic regional brand such as Funky Buddha to our craft beer portfolio, along with Ballast Point, advances our strategy in continuing to lead the high-end beer segment,” said Paul Hetterich, executive vice president and president of the beer division at Constellation Brands.

 “The Sentz family has created a culture of bold creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Those qualities, combined with our beer division’s market reach, distributor partnerships, consumer insights, and our craft expertise within Ballast Point, will help nurture and develop Funky Buddha’s distinctive brand.”

Constellation Brands and Funky Buddha Brewery’s team of employees will continue to work together, with Ryan and KC Sentz running the day-to-day operations. Funky Buddha’s standard of brewing will remain unchanged, delivering the same culinary-style, creative beer consumers and craft beer enthusiasts celebrate throughout the state of Florida.