JuneShine, the hard kombucha brand that got its start in San Diego, is closing the last two taprooms it owns and operates outright — its flagship production home in Scripps Ranch and its Main Street spot in Santa Monica. Both will pour their final drinks on August 28, and starting the next day, the company will have no company-run taproom left anywhere in the United States.
JuneShine announced the closures in an Instagram post dated August 3, branding the send-off event "The Last Splash," according to the New York Post. The company said shutting down the Santa Monica and Scripps Ranch locations was the right call for what comes next, the outlet reported.
The Scripps Ranch Facility's Ballast Point Roots
The Scripps Ranch site being shuttered is a 30,000-square-foot brewery and taproom JuneShine turned into its flagship home after acquiring it in February 2019, according to Brewbound. The building was formerly the headquarters of Ballast Point Brewing Company, which had used the space to grow into one of the largest independent breweries in the country before JuneShine took it over.
Earlier in 2026, JuneShine halted local brewing in San Diego altogether and laid off 24 manufacturing employees, according to SanDiegoVille. That report described the move as part of a shift toward a leaner, brand-focused business model, with JuneShine planning to outsource production to third-party manufacturers capable of turning out more than 1 million cases a year.
From A North Park Incubator To National Retail Shelves
JuneShine was founded in 2018 by Greg Serrao and Forrest Dein, who were classmates at the University of San Diego, the New York Post reported. The company has now listed its former Ballast Point headquarters for sale and scrapped earlier plans to build a larger replacement taproom on the site, per the same coverage.
The brand originally launched inside the Brewery Igniter incubator in San Diego's North Park neighborhood in June 2018 before landing shelf space at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target and Costco, SanDiegoVille reported. JuneShine also opened its own tasting room in North Park, which has since closed, according to the New York Post.
A Coast-To-Coast Push That Didn't Pan Out
JuneShine's brick-and-mortar ambitions once stretched well beyond California. The company opened a Williamsburg, Brooklyn location with its own brewing equipment, but that outpost closed in 2024 after about two years in operation, per the New York Post. JuneShine had also floated plans for new taprooms beyond California and a coast-to-coast canned cocktail business, neither of which produced a lasting physical footprint.
Investors Bet Big, Then JuneShine Went Looking For A Buyer
The company's expansion phase drew serious venture money. JuneShine closed a $24 million Series B round in November 2021 led by Amberstone and Litani Ventures, pushing its valuation to an estimated $80 million after revenues doubled between 2020 and 2021, according to Forbes.
Private equity firm InvestBev, which manages more than $185 million in adult beverage assets, made a seven-figure investment in JuneShine in January 2024 to support marketing and product development across its hard kombucha and canned cocktail lines, according to PE Hub. Roughly two years earlier, in October 2023, JuneShine had hired investment bank Perella Weinberg Partners to explore a sale that aimed to value the brand at more than $100 million based on $40 million in projected annual revenue, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported at the time — though no transaction was ever finalized.
Betting On THC Drinks Instead Of More Taprooms
Rather than pour more money into physical venues, JuneShine Brands has been channeling resources into newer categories. Willie's Remedy+, its THC-infused beverage venture created with musician Willie Nelson, raised $15 million in a Series A round led by Left Lane Capital, according to Pulse 2.0. The brand reportedly moved more than 400,000 bottles in its first year, leaning on JuneShine's existing wholesale distribution network.
The pivot arrives as the broader hard kombucha category keeps growing. The global hard kombucha market was valued at roughly $450 million in 2024 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate exceeding 13% through 2035, according to PINKY Beverages, driven largely by consumer demand for lower-calorie, functional alcohol alternatives.
What's Left On Main Street
In Santa Monica, the taproom closure lands against a backdrop of broader change along the commercial corridor. The city closed Main Street in July for a public State of the City festival aimed at stimulating local commerce, distributing merchant shopping vouchers to encourage spending amid recent storefront shifts, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
JuneShine says it will keep existing as a brand available on store shelves and at bars, even without a taproom of its own. What remains is a company that built its name as a San Diego-born hard kombucha maker but now operates as a distributed, contract-brewed consumer packaged goods brand, per SanDiegoVille's reporting on the shift.
