Can Sycamore Brewing brand survive co-founder’s arrest? Experts weigh in
Amid swift public backlash in the week following child rape charges against Sycamore Brewing co-founder, the Charlotte brewery faces an uncertain future: can the company survive, should it rebrand, or will it be forced to close?
The arrest of Justin Tawse Brigham sparked a fast and fierce backlash, and also rapidly evolved into a public relations crisis for one of Charlotte’s largest and most popular brewery. Grocery stores and bars across North Carolina dropped Sycamore products. And the list is growing.
Meanwhile, the Sycamore taproom and restaurant at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is closing, leaving just one location open, at South End.
“They really are floundering in a hopeless situation for the brand,” said Peter LaMotte, strategic communications president at Charlotte public relations and branding agency Chernoff Newman. The local economic impact will probably be too much for the brand to survive, he added.
Brigham, 44, was arrested Dec. 11 on charges of statutory rape involving a 13-year-old girl in Stanly County. He now faces more than a dozen felony charges.
“The horrific nature of the crimes will make it near impossible for the Sycamore brand to survive,” LaMotte said. “This is more Harvey Weinstein than Martha Stewart.”
Barry Finkelstein, principal of Truth Advisors communications consultant agency in Charlotte, used Weinstein as an example of how Sycamore could survive. Studios he was associated with endured and not every business he associated with got drawn into his scandals.
“I think companies can survive these kinds of situations, but there are certain steps you have to take,” Finkelstein said. And, one of those first steps is to distance the company from the individual.
“I do think it can be overcome, but you’ve got to act decisively and with empathy and understanding,” he said.
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Sycamore tries to distance itself from Brigham
The same day Brigham was arrested, his wife and Sycamore co-founder and co-owner Sarah Taylor posted a statement on the brewery’s social media sites saying Brigham had divested all of his interest in the business.
“I am devastated by the charges against Justin and the pain this has inflicted on our family and others. Effective immediately, I am assuming full leadership of the company,” Taylor wrote.
That initial post was removed on Saturday, Dec. 13, when Sycamore Brewing released a lengthier three-page statement, calling the charges “horrifying” and “despicable.” The company said it is “heartbroken for the victim” and acknowledged the community’s anger. The company stated it would not assist in Brigham’s defense and hopes the legal system holds him accountable.
The brewery’s statement also focused on the staff, “innocent people whose livelihoods depend on Sycamore,” who are working amid the uncertainty.
“We will get through this, and this family has each others’ backs,” Sycamore’s statement said.
And the latest statement addressed Taylor’s post, saying it “came from a devastated wife and a mother trying to make sense of something unthinkable,” and that Taylor is now focusing on her duties to a “shattered household and a shattered community.”
LaMotte, who has 10 years of crisis work experience, critiqued the company’s response as flawed.
“No PR move, no apology letter, no rebrand will really remove the association of Sycamore” with Brigham’s alleged actions, he said. “When founders are so closely associated with a brand, a crisis of this nature that’s so shocking as this, it makes any repositioning while maintaining that brand near impossible.”
Responding immediately also was a mistake, LaMotte and Finkelstein said. The first response from Taylor was “reactionary and not well-thought-out,” LaMotte said.
Finkelstein said the company, not Taylor should have responded publicly. But the first crucial step is protecting key relationships. He would have advised reaching out to important stakeholders like distributors and bar owners on a one-on-one basis before making public statements.
The second statement, although it added empathy for the victim, “lost brevity.” Plus, “they were having to explain why they responded the way they did, which is not what people are looking for,” LaMotte said.
More businesses cut ties with Sycamore
Despite the latest statement, more businesses and distributors have cut ties with Sycamore Brewing.
On Thursday, Dec. 18., a holiday pop-up market cancelled its event at Sycamore’s taproom on Hawkins Street, Observer news partner WSOC reported.
More grocers confirmed they were pulling Sycamore products from their shelves, including Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market, retail giant Target and Greensboro-based The Fresh Market, The Charlotte Observer confirmed. They joined Food Lion, Publix and Lowes Foods.
“Our company may be listed on their webpage, but I can confirm to you that we have pulled the product from our shelves and are no longer accepting the product from distributors,” The Fresh Market spokesman Sam Wroblewski said in a statement to the Observer. Fresh Market has 172 stores in 22 states.
Harris Teeter and its parent company, Kroger, were also listed as stores carrying Sycamore on the brewery’s website. But Matthews-based Harris Teeter has since removed the brewery’s products from its shelves, Kroger told the Observer.
As of Friday, Dec. 19, Sycamore’s distributor for the Charlotte area, Adams Beverages, still has the business on its website. The company did not respond to requests for comment.
But some companies have been vocal about severing ties with Sycamore.
Comer Distributing Co., a Rock Hill business, ended its partnership with Sycamore Brewing last week, President Chip Comer said on Facebook. Businesses like Sycamore have a responsibility to “stand for decency, accountability, and certainly the protection of children,” he said. The decision to end distribution and cease sales in South Carolina reflects those values.
“Our hearts are with the victim and anyone impacted by the situation,” Comer said. He also stated that the actions of one person devastated the alleged victim, her family, and more than 100 “hard-working” employees.
“We do support the other 99% of the brewery employees who were blindsided by the heinous act of one individual,” Comer said in a statement to the Observer. “They do not deserve repercussions, and we will await their decision for the future.”
Sycamore Brewing background
Taylor and Brigham started Sycamore brewery in Charlotte in 2013.
A decade later, Sycamore closed its original location at 2161 Hawkins St. and moved to 2151 Hawkins St. The brewery anchors The Line, a 16-story office building. The 21,000-square-foot space includes a taproom, beer garden, Airstream food truck, and café coffee shop, according to Sycamore’s website.
In 2022, Sycamore opened its second location, this one at Charlotte Douglas International Airport with a taproom and restaurant. The airport’s food and beverage manager HMSHost is dropping Sycamore, and the business is no longer listed on the airport’s website.
Sycamore had plans to open a third location this summer at the Cotswold Village on South Sharon Amity Road, according to the shopping center’s website. The retail center’s leasing manager, Thrift Commercial Real Estate, had no comment about Sycamore or its plans.
Sycamore needs clear break from Brigham, PR expert says
By Monday, Dec. 15, days after the arrest, Sycamore Brewing filed an amended business report with the N.C. Secretary of State showing Taylor as the only managing member. The previous report in April showed Sarah Taylor and Justin Brigham as managing members.
James Donnelly, executive vice president for New York City-based digital PR agency M Booth, would not talk about Sycamore’s crisis specifically but said there are lessons to be learned.
‘It starts with building operational separation, then the brand separation,” said Donnelly, who has worked remotely in Charlotte for about 20 years. “If you keep the brand and everything that the brand stood for, you’ve got to make a huge pivot and stand for something bigger.”
Barry Finkelstein, principal of Truth Advisors communications consultant agency in Charlotte, used Weinstein as an example of how Sycamore could survive. Studios he was associated with endured and not every business he associated with got drawn into his scandals.
“I think companies can survive these kinds of situations, but there are certain steps you have to take,” Finkelstein said. And, one of those first steps is to distance the company from the individual.
“I do think it can be overcome, but you’ve got to act decisively and with empathy and understanding,” he said.
Like several North Carolina bars that are donating Sycamore beer proceeds to organizations that provide services to victims of sexual assault, Donnelly said to restore trust and reputation in a brand by showing empathy. “Find ways to make a difference in the community,” he said.
For Taylor to move forward professionally, LaMotte said she first needs a clear break from Brigham.
“She will have to create a new storyline for herself,” LaMotte said. “It would be in her best interests to disassociate herself, but also keep people informed ...
“Letting the public know where the dissolution of Sycamore as a brand is allows them to better understand her lack of association with Brigham so that she can start the next chapter of her life.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 5:29 AM with the headline "Can Sycamore Brewing brand survive co-founder’s arrest? Experts weigh in."
