Summit Brewing takes on Charlotte seltzer brand over trademark

State of play: Summit Brewing has been in business since 1986 and is the 26th largest craft brewery in the U.S. While it doesn't make seltzers, it says many companies produce both seltzers and beer.

• Summit Seltzer launched in 2020 and is one of Charlotte’s most well-known beverage brands.
• The rebrand means changing everything — from the can labels on store shelves to the signage outside its taproom.

What they're saying: Summit Seltzer owner Kristin Cagney said her family couldn't afford the hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal feels to keep fighting for the name.

• "At this point, there are no hard feelings," she said.

The other side: Summit Brewing CEO and founder Mark Stutrud told Axios Twin Cities that within a year of Summit Seltzer's launch he began calling and sending letters to the owners and got no response.

• While there's no current overlap in their distribution, that could change if either company expands, he said. The brewing company has produced a seltzer for a third party, and could someday do its own.
• "It's not my idea of a good way of spending money," he said of the dispute. "It's one of those doggone things of being in business."