On Garage Project's official history page, Lion Pty Ltd is mentioned 0 times. The brand tells a story of Australian origin while the corporate reality is carefully omitted.
Garage Project was founded in 2011 by Jos Ruffell, Ian Gillespie, and Pete Gillespie in a former petrol station in Wellington's Aro Valley. The brewery quickly became a darling of the New Zealand craft beer scene, known for boundary-pushing brews and striking label art. Their experimental approach and local credibility made them an icon of Kiwi indie beer culture. In 2022, the founders sold to Lion, a subsidiary of Japan's Kirin Holdings — one of the world's largest beverage conglomerates. The acquisition followed Lion's pattern of hoovering up successful craft brands across Australasia.
The Garage Project website reads like a love letter to Wellington independence — all garage mythology and creative rebellion — with absolutely no disclosure that it's now owned by a Japanese multinational. The 'About' section celebrates the founders without mentioning they sold to Lion/Kirin. This is textbook craft camouflage.
Profits from Garage Project now flow to Lion Pty Ltd in Australia, and ultimately to Kirin Holdings in Tokyo. Kirin is a publicly traded company (TYO: 2503) with revenues exceeding $17 billion AUD. Your 'indie' craft beer purchase contributes to Japanese corporate dividends.
Every Garage Project purchase supports the illusion that craft beer independence survives corporate consolidation. Lion uses acquisitions like this to capture market share while competitors who remain genuinely independent struggle against multinational distribution power.
For genuinely independent Australasian craft beer, try Pirate Life (wait, Lion got them too) — actually try Akasha Brewing Company (Sydney), Hawkers Beer (Melbourne), or Wildflower Brewing (Sydney). These remain independently owned and locally profitable.