Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney profiled their work as owners of Welsh football team Wrexham AFC in their FX series. Welcome to Wrexham. Now that they've worked on building the brand, the actors are selling some of their ownership of the team to work together on another business venture — though they don't have to go too far.
According to The Hollywood Reporterthe duo sell their minority stake in Wrexham AFC and buy a local brewery to expand the club and its influence. They will sell the stake to the wealthy New York-based Allyn family and take over the Wrexham Lager brewery with a new joint venture called Red Dragon Ventures.
“Wrexham has earned the attention of the world and we are focused on bringing in world-class partners to help us in the next phase of our growth,” said Reynolds and McElhenney. “We were fortunate to meet the Allyn family and were impressed by their intelligence, kindness and commitment. They are exactly the kind of partners we will need for this amazing endeavor.”
Their new business partners are also happy about the opportunity.
“For more than a century, our family has focused on building great companies while creating wonderful communities,” said Allyn Family Office Manager Eric Allyn. added Eric Allyn. “Our decades-long efforts in the Syracuse region are similar to Robi and Ryan's start in Wrexham. We see Red Dragon Ventures as a vehicle to invest in a world-class football club and, importantly, the welcoming community of Wrexham.”
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Wrexham Lager is by no means a new beer brand. Founded in Wales in 1882, it is the oldest surviving lager brewery in the UK. Titanic passengers even drank it, and Reynolds is said to be so interested in the brand that he claims to have commissioned a dive on the famous shipwreck last year. hoping to save some bottles. Lucky Welcome to Wrexham Fans and beer lovers in the US and Canada will be able to sample the lager for themselves as North American distribution begins in the coming months.
“We have learned a lot as co-chairmen of Wrexham AFC,” the actors said of the new venture. “The relationship between the club and the community, the complexity of offside rules and the occasional need for a beer – especially after financial discussions. Wrexham Lager has a 140-year-old recipe and a storied history and we're delighted to help write the next chapter.”
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