A new enterprise aims to help craft brewers compete with Big Beer.

Enjoy Beer LLC was created to provide resources on a national scale to a select group of top independent craft brewers, according to a press release. The idea is to allow these breweries to preserve local independence while gaining shared resources in areas such as distribution, sales, marketing and logistical expertise.

Such resources are necessary to compete with large-scale corporate competitors, according to a press release.

Abita Brewing Co., the oldest craft brewer in the Southeast, is the first brewery partner of Enjoy Beer LLC. Currently producing 160,000 barrels annually, Abita recently completed a three-year, $30 million state-of-the-art expansion that will increase its brewing capacity to 400,000 barrels.

“Enjoy Beer is an innovative concept that’s going to give Abita the resources and expertise we need for a successful long-term, national growth strategy, while keeping our roots firmly planted here in Louisiana,” says David Blossman, President of Abita Beer and board member of Enjoy Beer.

Without an investment partner like Enjoy Beer, craft brewers will struggle to contend against the resources of the Big Beer corporations. Or so believes Richard Doyle, the President and Founder of Enjoy Beer, LLC, and Co-Founder and former CEO of Harpoon Brewery in Boston, Mass.

“As the craft industry continues to evolve, there is enormous pressure on brewers to compete against the big breweries,” said Doyle. “Enjoy Beer will pioneer a new model in the industry, and together, Enjoy Beer and Abita can compete at the next level by expanding the reach of a beloved brand to share the unique culture of New Orleans with the rest of the country.”