Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
A veteran-owned craft brewery in Mission, 5×5 Brewing Co., announced in a Jan. 27 Instagram post it will permanently shut down operations by Feb. 28, bringing an end to its presence in the local brewing scene.
The company, located at 801 Bryan Road Suite 174, is owned by eight United States military veterans: George Rice (Army), Ray Franklin (Army), Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (Marine), Sean Downey (Marine), Alex Gelman (Navy), Stan Cummins (Navy), Luis Espindola (Marine) and Kevin Jackson (Army).
Jackson, the majority owner, said before buying most of the ownership in 2024, between him and Cummins there was already debt because of a Small Business Administration loan.
“They got it back in the COVID-19 era,” Jackson said. “Fast forward to now, you’re looking at that large loan just lingering.”
He said the debt and reduced sales were the main reasons for the shut down, among other factors.
“Not just for us, but the entirety of alcohol in general is struggling right now,” Jackson said.
Since 5×5 Brewing Co.’s opening, the brewery has broadened its distribution to Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Houston, College Station, Austin and El Paso.
“Since we’re still a microcraft brewery … our margins are really low,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day, what we would need to do is expand but, by the debt we already have, it doesn’t look promising.”
Before buying part of the company, Jackson said he was already a big fan.
“We enjoyed going out and drinking it so, when the opportunity came to buy it, we were really excited,” he said.
Jackson added even with the debt from the loan, the team thought there was still going to be a chance of growing the brewery.
“Our location wasn’t ideal either since the [Rio Grande Valley] is growing in a certain direction,” he said. “We don’t have a restaurant … which would have helped with revenue.”
Jackson said before coming to the decision of closing, the team discussed other alternatives for the business to be kept alive, including restructuring.
He added it was a hard decision to make, and that they even reached out to other businesses for possible purchase of distribution rights and buying the location.
“Basically, a lot of the money that would come in was just going to either debt or licences, fees and cost of goods sold.” Jackson said.
Jose Rodriguez/THE RIDER
Gonzalo Cervera Quiñaga, an electrical engineering senior, said he started drinking the beer from 5×5 because it was local.
“It’s pretty cool to have something that is relatively close and enjoy it”, Cervera Quinaga said. “I kept coming back because of the variety.”
He added he was sad the brewery was closing because it is a great beer with a different taste.
Jackson added the brewery could eventually continue to sell its beer if someone else takes over.
UTRGV Athletics and 5×5 Brewing Co. announced a partnership to create Los Vaqueros beer on April 12, 2023.
Jackson said the partnership was a game changer, but the beer will not be made anymore.
He described the beer as having a unique taste, and it was exciting seeing the beer in different sporting events on campus. Jackson added the beer helped the brewery with its branding and to open 5×5 for the community to try their other beers.
“I don’t think we would have lasted as long as we did without the UTRGV partnership,” he said. “It did really well for us.”
Cervera Quiñaga said the partnership between the university and the brewery represented the school spirit.
“A lot of people got interested on the football program,” Quiñaga said. “This beer was perfect to watch any UTRGV sport and … local representation. It was perfect to embrace the 956 spirit.”
Jonah Goldberg, senior associate athletic director for Communications & Championships, wrote in a Feb. 10 email to The Rider UTRGV Athletics is proud of their consumable products but does not have any further updates on the beer.
“We take pride … including Los Vaqueros [beer], and our hope has always been for them to exist for the long-term,” Goldberg stated.
