BREWDOG's co-founder Martin Dickie has left the Scottish drinks firm “out of the blue” for personal reasons, The National can reveal.
In an email to BrewDog staff on Friday morning, Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based beverage firm with James Watt in 2007, confirmed he would leave the company.
He wrote: “This business has been my life for the last 18 years and I have enjoyed (almost) every minute.
“I have been inspired by and loved working with and learning from so many interesting people who have worked in our business over the years from all over the world."
Dickie went on to say that BrewDog has the ability to be "the best" at anything they work at, and thanked the company's staff for helping to create the "best" beer and bars across the country.
The businessman went on to urge workers at the drinks firm to view the business from a customer's point of view, saying: "People are spending their hard-earned money on something we have made ... Make their BrewDog moment special."
Dickie ended his announcement by saying: "I’m excited to watch from the sidelines as your biggest supporter as you continue to push the business forward with your talent and drive."
One worker for the company told The National that Dickie's announcement came “out of the blue”.
In July, Dickie said he is aiming to be one of the UK’s top legal farms for medical cannabis as he plans to harvest his first full crop.
Dickie revealed he plans to invest £20 million into Waterside Pharmaceuticals over the next five years and grow the business like he did with BrewDog.
The businessman expects his first full yield at his high-tech indoor vertical farm to produce nine kilograms of medical cannabis, with the company planning to increase further harvests to 200kg a year.
Dickie's announcement comes after it was revealed last week that BrewDog’s beers had been axed by almost 2000 pubs across the UK.
The figures were revealed to The Telegraph by an industry insider using confidential pub industry data. It was claimed that the Scottish firm is losing out to rival brands like Camden Town and Beavertown “like you wouldn’t believe”.
BrewDog also announced last month that it would close 10 bars across the UK, with almost 100 jobs reportedly at risk.
Last year, The National reported that BrewDog lost £59 million in 2023, according to the company’s latest accounts. It was the fourth year in a row the firm posted pre-tax losses.
While it recorded losses of £12.5m in 2020, £9.4m in 2021, and £30.5m in 2022, last year’s losses are more than those three years combined.
