Meier’s Creek Brewing to develop Le Moyne College-themed beer

SYRACUSE — Meier’s Creek Brewing Company of Cazenovia will be developing a Le Moyne College-themed beer that will be a fundraiser for the school.

The Cazenovia–based brewery will develop the beer that will be available for sale beginning in the first quarter of 2024.

Under the agreement, Le Moyne will receive proceeds from 20 percent of all sales, which will go to the Le Moyne College Fund and be allocated toward the school’s wellness initiatives and student scholarship to help offset the cost of attendance, according to a Le Moyne news release.

The partnership was first announced at Le Moyne’s Founders’ Day Gala on Oct. 20, the college noted. The effort to bring the new beverage to market will unfold over the next several months, with a goal of premiering the brew through a series of alumni and donor-focused events. That includes Le Moyne in New York, a gala event scheduled to take place in New York City in March 2024.

Meier’s Creek Brewing was established in 2019, when its parent company, Feldmeier Equipment Co., purchased the Empire Farm Brewery in Cazenovia.

The Meier’s Creek taproom on Route 13 in Cazenovia opened in 2020 and has since upgraded the outdoor and indoor space at that location. In 2021, the business announced a second location, at the Inner Harbor in Syracuse, with that space opening in January 2022.

Crystal Paolelli, director of marketing at Meier’s Creek Brewing Company, said in the Le Moyne release, that the business and Le Moyne have developed a “unique approach” to their partnership that will grow to include “students as we move through the various stages to provide hands-on experience and alumni involvement with the product development.”

Over the next several months, Le Moyne student members of Heights Global Marketing, the in-house student marketing firm for the Madden College of Business and Economics, will lead a number of focus groups to explore options for type (IPA, lager, etc.) and name of the beer, labeling, packaging, and pricing.

Members of the Le Moyne community and the general public will have a chance to suggest a name for the new beer.

All research initiatives will be conducted “in the context of the latest craft-beer industry trends, informed by Meier’s Creek’s extensive experience in that retail space,” Le Moyne College noted.

“I’m excited about this partnership and the many ways it will benefit both Le Moyne College and Meier’s Creek Brewing,” Jim Joseph, Le Moyne’s VP for advancement and innovation and dean of the Madden College of Business and Economics, said. “Several Le Moyne alumni serving in leadership roles at the company and there is a strong alignment of values and innovation between the two organizations that will only grow as we continue to collaborate.”