Milwaukee Entrepreneur Sells Spike Brewing in Mid-Seven-Figure Deal, Turns Full Focus to Fast-Growing Startup Floating Flame
Ben Caya grew a college-basement side hustle into an international leader in home brewing equipment with more than $50 million in lifetime sales; his next venture, a patented boat-safe fire pit, has grown 300% year over year since launching in 2024.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — July 6, 2026 — Milwaukee entrepreneur Ben Caya has completed the sale of Spike Brewing, the home brewing equipment company he founded 15 years ago in a college basement and built into an international leader in the industry. The mid-seven-figure transaction closed in June 2026. Caya will now devote his full attention to Floating Flame, his Milwaukee-based portable fire pit company that has grown 300% year over year since its 2024 launch.
Spike Brewing was acquired by Billy Walker and his father, Bill Walker Sr., a father-son team that owns a stainless steel distribution company supplying fittings, valves and accessories for food processing, distilling and brewing applications. The Walkers are relocating Spike’s operations to Blackwood, New Jersey, and have committed to continuing the full Spike product line, honoring all existing warranties and growing the legacy.
“Spike started as a way to make extra beer money in college, and it grew into something bigger than I ever imagined — a brand that brewers around the world trust,” said Caya. “When it came time to sell, it was important for me to find a buyer I had confidence in that could carry the torch. I wanted owners who understand stainless, understand brewing and care about the community we built. Billy and Bill are exactly that, and I couldn’t be happier handing them the keys.”
Caya founded Spike Brewing in 2011 while studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After finding empty beer kegs in his college basement and selling them on Craigslist, he noticed most of his buyers were homebrewers converting kegs into brewing equipment — so he started doing the cutting and welding himself. Over 15 years, Spike grew from that basement operation into an internationally recognized manufacturer of professional-grade stainless steel kettles, fermenters and turnkey electric brewing systems, generating more than $50 million in lifetime sales from its Milwaukee facility.
With the sale complete, Caya is doubling down on Floating Flame, which he launched at the 2024 Milwaukee Boat Show. The idea struck when he listed his pontoon boat for sale in 2022: photos showed a portable fire pit onboard, and he received more inquiries about the fire pit — a discontinued product from a defunct company he originally was a customer of — than about the boat itself.
Floating Flame’s patented propane fire pit is the only fire pit designed for safe use on boats, built with marine-grade stainless steel, UL-listed propane components and fire-retardant materials. Running on a standard 20-pound propane tank with more than 20 hours of burn time, it features built-in cup holders, sidepod coolers and table top — designed for boating, tailgating, camping and ice fishing. The product was named a 2026 Boating Industry Top Product, and the company has sustained 300% year-over-year growth since launch.
“I got more questions about the fire pit than the boat I was trying to sell — that was the lightbulb moment,” said Caya. “My goal with Floating Flame is to see how large I can build a company with just myself, AI and a couple specialist contractors; 0 employees. We’ve tripled the business every year, we’re expanding our dealer network throughout the US and Canada, and we’re just getting started. I’m confident I can build it to $10 million in revenue with the current 0 employee structure.”
About Floating Flame
Founded by Ben Caya and launched in 2024, Milwaukee-based Floating Flame manufactures the only portable propane fire pit designed for safe use on boats. Built with marine-grade stainless steel and UL-listed components, the Floating Flame is designed for boating, tailgating, camping and beyond. Learn more at https://www.google.com/url?q=http://floatingflame.com&source=gmail&ust=1783458609693000&sa=E.
About Ben Caya
Ben Caya is a Milwaukee-based serial entrepreneur and mechanical engineer. He founded Spike Brewing in 2011 as a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student and grew it into an international leader in home brewing equipment before selling the company in June 2026.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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Milwaukee Entrepreneur Sells Spike Brewing in Mid-Seven-Figure Deal, Turns Full Focus to Fast-Growing Startup Floating Flame
Jul 6th, 2026 by Press ReleaseBen Caya grew a college-basement side hustle into an international leader in home brewing equipment with more than $50 million in lifetime sales; his next venture, a patented boat-safe fire pit, has grown 300% year over year since launching in 2024.
