1 of 2 | In a press release announcing Anchor’s closing in 2023, then-owner Sapporo USA said, “Anchor was significantly affected by the impact of the novel coronavirus, and such impact was particularly prolonged in the San Francisco area.” File Photo by John G Mabanglo/EPA-EFE

Anchor and all of its assets including the 2.1 acre Potrero Hill campus and brewing equipment in De Haro Street warehouses were purchased by Ulukaya.

Anchor’s brewery operations will be restarted by Ulukaya’s investment firm Shephard Futures and the historic brand, the oldest craft brewer in America, will be restored.

The billionaire visited San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing facilities and was persuaded to buy and restart the brand.

Wearing a dark blue Anchor Brewing baseball cap and sporting a San Francisco lapel pin, Ulukaya said in an interview, “I walked in those hallways, I read a lot of the history, I met the people in the community and talked about the brand. I felt completely home.”

He said he plans to work out an agreement with the longtime brewery workers and their union, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed told the San Francisco Chronicle, “Anchor Brewing has always been a beloved part of San Francisco. Thanks to Hamdi Ulukaya, it will be a part of San Francisco for years to come.”

The brewery went out of business in 2023. It used a special steam beer fermentation process and had deep blue-collar roots in San Francisco.

In a press release announcing Anchor’s closing in 2023, owner Sapporo USA said, “Anchor was significantly affected by the impact of the novel coronavirus, and such impact was particularly prolonged in the San Francisco area.”

With significantly decreased sales, Anchor lost $13 million in 2020, $22 million in 2021 and $10 million in 2022.