Data shows sharp Sycamore sales drop after co-founder's arrest
Retailers pulled Sycamore products after allegations emerged
The following article appeared in the January 5, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Sycamore Brewing’s retail sales fell by 85% at grocery stores and convenience stores
New data shows just how much sales of Sycamore Brewing’s beers plunged after the news surfaced last month that its co-founder was charged with sex crimes involving a 13-year-old girl.
According to figures compiled by retail market research company Circana and shared with The Ledger, the sales of Sycamore products in grocery stores and convenience stores were mostly stable in the weeks leading up to mid-December.
Compared with a year earlier, retail sales in North and South Carolina were down 5% in the week beginning Nov. 17, down 6% in the week beginning Nov. 24 and flat (0%) in the week beginning Dec. 1.
But after the arrest of co-founder Justin Brigham on Dec. 11, sales of Sycamore’s products fell by 43% in the week starting Dec. 8 and 85% in the week starting Dec. 15. The numbers show that in the Dec. 15 week, Sycamore’s sales were just over $31,000 for the week, down from about $206,000 in the same week in 2024.
Since Brigham was arrested in Stanly County, much of the company’s business seems to have evaporated, with customers avoiding its South End taproom and stores pulling its beer off the shelves.
It’s unclear how much of Sycamore’s revenue comes from sales at retailers compared with its taproom. The taproom has been almost empty since the criminal allegations surfaced, and a satellite taproom at Charlotte’s airport is closing. Sycamore is Charlotte’s largest brewer by volume, and its growth was fueled in large part by expanding its retail distribution, which its website previously said spanned seven states.
In a statement on social media last week — her third since the arrest — wife and co-founder Sarah Taylor said she is starting divorce proceedings and that Brigham is no longer connected to the business.
She said the company is shutting its South End taproom starting today “to allow space for processing, healing and beginning the work of reimagining this community space.” She said she would “share more details on reopening in the new year” and was “committed to building a new future for Sycamore.”
Taylor has not granted interview requests from The Ledger or other media about the future of the company. —Tony Mecia
Related Ledger articles:
“The rapid fall of Sycamore Brewing” (Dec. 17)
“S.C. beer distributor cuts off Sycamore, citing ‘despicable actions’ of ‘vile’ brewery co-founder” (Dec. 19)
“An outsider in Charlotte’s craft beer community” (Dec. 20)
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