Ola Brew
Ola Brew is a Hawaiian craft brewery and distillery operating two taprooms on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, producing beer, hard juice, hard seltzer, hard tea, and traditional ʻōkolehao spirit from locally sourced ingredients, serving Hawaii consumers, tourists, and a 4,200+ investor community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersKailua Kona, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ola Brew does
Ola Brew Co. is a Hawaiian craft brewery and traditional spirit distillery headquartered in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, founded in 2016 and operating two company-owned taprooms (Kona and Hilo) plus retail distribution across Hawaii. Its product portfolio spans core craft beers (IPA, lagers, porters, milkshake IPAs), a hard juice line at 6% ABV featuring tropical flavors such as dragon fruit, lilikoi, and pineapple, hard seltzers, hard teas, and a flagship traditional Hawaiian spirit called ʻōkolehao distilled from kī (ti) root. The ʻōkolehao line is one of only three authentic Hawaiian production efforts (alongside Hanalei Spirits and Island Distillers) and has earned three Best in Class awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The underlying production relies on a network of 50+ Hawaii farmers supplying tropical and Hawaiian ingredients (kī root, dragon fruit, lilikoi, lychee, ginger, lemongrass, kiawe wood), with a rotating catalog of 40+ SKUs that includes weekly limited releases from the Kona brewery and Hilo taproom. The company complements on-premise beverage and food sales with a branded merchandise e-commerce storefront, offering apparel, hats, drinkware, and accessories priced from $1 to $52.
Ola Brew's go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer taproom sales, Hawaii retail distribution, and a Regulation Crowdfunding capital strategy executed via StartEngine. The company is both employee- and community-owned, with over 4,200 small investors and 50+ employee-owners, and has raised roughly $11.34M across six crowdfunding rounds from 2018 through 2023. Distribution is currently anchored in Hawaii, with stated intent to expand ʻōkolehao into mainland US retail and pursue "retail, scale, and global growth" as its next phase. The company is actively supporting Hawaii House Bill 2475 and Senate Bill 3248 to codify ʻōkolehao labeling standards and protect the category from out-of-state appropriation.
Ola Brew firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ola Brew
- Legal name
- Ola Brew Co.
- Website
- https://olabrewco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ola Brew is a Hawaiian craft brewery and distillery operating two taprooms on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, producing beer, hard juice, hard seltzer, hard tea, and traditional ʻōkolehao spirit from locally sourced ingredients, serving Hawaii consumers, tourists, and a 4,200+ investor community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ola Brew industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Beverages
- NAICS
- Beverage Manufacturing (3121), Breweries (31212), Distilleries (31214), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (722410)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service) (THAFALAB)
Keywords
Where Ola Brew is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kailua Kona
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Ola Brew business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Taproom Sales: Direct beverage sales and food service at two taproom locations in Hilo and Kona. Offer rotating selection of 40+ beers, hard juices, hard seltzers, and hard teas.
- Merchandise Sales: Online storefront selling branded merchandise including apparel, hats, drinkware, and accessories ranging from $1 to $52.
- Retail Beverage Distribution: Canned and bottled beverages sold through retail stores across Hawaii, including hard juices (6% ABV), hard seltzers, hard teas, and award-winning okolehao spirit.
- Equity Crowdfunding: Regulation Crowdfunding campaigns through StartEngine to raise capital from community investors, with over 4,200 investors participating.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Apparel items including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and accessories |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hard Juice canned beverages |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Taproom Draft and Can Sales |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ola Brew product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ola Brew is a Hawaiian craft brewery and distillery based on the Big Island of Hawai'i that produces and sells craft beers (IPAs, lagers, porters, hazy beers), hard beverages (hard juices at 6% ABV with tropical flavors, hard seltzers, hard teas), and a traditional Hawaiian spirit called ʻōkolehao distilled from kī (ti) root. The company operates two company-owned taprooms (Kona and Hilo) offering on-site beverage consumption with food service, distributes packaged beverages through Hawaii retailers, and sells branded merchandise through an e-commerce storefront.
Product overview
Ola Brew is a Hawaiian craft brewery and distillery based on the Big Island of Hawai'i with two taprooms (Kona and Hilo). The product portfolio includes core beer offerings (IPA, lagers, hazy beers, porters), hard beverages (hard juice at 6% ABV with tropical flavors, hard seltzers, hard teas), and a traditional Hawaiian spirit called 'Ōkolehao made from kī (ti) root. The company offers rotating weekly limited-release small-batch craft brews and merchandise through its e-commerce shop. All products are handcrafted using local Hawaiian ingredients sourced from island farmers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ōkolehao: Traditional Hawaiian spirit distilled from kī (ti) root, a heritage spirit revival product.
- Ola Hard Juice
- Ola Hard Seltzer
- Ola Hard Tea
Products and services
- Ola Brew IPA
- Ma'a Island Lager
- Da Hazy Light
- Lilikoi Lime Milkshake IPA
- Kiawe Vanilla Porter
- Lehulehu Lager
- Ola Hard Juice
- Ola Hard Seltzer
- Ola Hard Tea
- ʻŌkolehao Hawaiian Spirit
- Ola Brew Merchandise
Quantifiable outcome
- First release sold out in 48 hours
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ola Brew
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ola Brew technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Ola Brew partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Ola Brew competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Maui Brewing Company: Hawaii's largest craft brewery, also based on a neighbor island (Maui) with taproom, distribution, and tourism-driven revenue mix. Most directly comparable peer given shared Hawaii craft positioning, local-ingredient story, and island-taproom-led GTM.
- Kona Brewing Company: Long-established Hawaii craft brewery headquartered on the Big Island (Kailua-Kona) with deep mainland distribution via Craft Brew Alliance/Anheuser-Busch. Closest geographic and product peer; benchmark for what scaled Hawaii craft can become.
- Hanalei Spirits: Kauaʻi-based Hawaiian distillery and one of only three authentic ʻōkolehao producers alongside Ola Brew. Directly comparable on category, regulatory advocacy (HB 2475/SB 3248), and heritage-spirits positioning.
- Island Distillers: Oʻahu-based Hawaiian distillery producing ʻōkolehao and other local spirits; the third of the three Hawaii ʻōkolehao producers. Directly comparable on product, regulatory alignment, and island-distillery operating model.
- SweetWater Brewing Company: Independent US craft brewery with broad portfolio of IPAs, lagers, hard seltzers, and rotating limited releases. Closely comparable product mix and taproom-plus-distribution model, though mainland-focused.
- House Spirits Distillery: Portland-based craft distillery producing premium American whiskey, gin, and coffee liqueur. Comparable as an award-winning independent craft distillery that scaled via taproom plus national distribution.
Broad incumbents
- New Belgium Brewing Company: Large US craft brewery (Fat Tire brand) now owned by Kirin/Lion. Demonstrates the scale craft brewers can reach via mainstream distribution — relevant benchmark for Ola's expansion ambitions.
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Nationwide craft brewery with deep hop-forward portfolio and rotating specialty series. Comparable on rotating SKU discipline and award-driven reputation; relevant scaled-craft benchmark.
- Lagunitas Brewing Company: Major US craft brewery (Heineken subsidiary) with broad IPA and experimental line. Comparable on craft-IPA portfolio depth and taproom-to-distribution operating history.
Emerging players
- Tattersall Distilling: Minneapolis-based craft distillery with wide spirit portfolio and cocktail room. Comparable independent-craft-distillery business model combining taproom experience with multi-SKU spirit production.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ola Brew social profiles
Digital presenceOla Brew financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ola Brew leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Ola Brew funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ola Brew M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ola Brew
What does Ola Brew do?
Ola Brew is a Hawaiian craft brewery and distillery based on the Big Island of Hawai'i that produces and sells craft beers (IPAs, lagers, porters, hazy beers), hard beverages (hard juices at 6% ABV with tropical flavors, hard seltzers, hard teas), and a traditional Hawaiian spirit called ʻōkolehao distilled from kī (ti) root. The company operates two company-owned taprooms (Kona and Hilo) offering on-site beverage consumption with food service, distributes packaged beverages through Hawaii retailers, and sells branded merchandise through an e-commerce storefront.
Is Ola Brew a public or private company?
Ola Brew is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Ola Brew founded?
Ola Brew was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ola Brew based?
Ola Brew is headquartered in Kailua Kona, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ola Brew make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Taproom Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, retail Beverage Distribution and equity Crowdfunding.
Who are Ola Brew's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Maui Brewing Company, Kona Brewing Company, Hanalei Spirits, Island Distillers, SweetWater Brewing Company and House Spirits Distillery. Broad incumbents are New Belgium Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Lagunitas Brewing Company. Tattersall Distilling is listed as an emerging player.
Does Ola Brew have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ola Brew.
What industry is Ola Brew in?
Ola Brew's product category is Craft Beverages. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAB, Packaging & Production Breweries (Limited/No On-site Service). Its NAICS code is 3121 and its SIC code is 2080.