Consultants Forum Advertise
Subscribe
Close

  • Free for qualified executives and consultants to industry

  • Receive quarterly issues of Area Development Magazine and special market report and directory issues

Subscribe Now
Renew

Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Two Roads Brewing Company Invests Nearly $21 Million To Establish Microbrewery In Century-old Historic Stratford, Connecticut, Building

01/28/2013
Two Roads Brewing Company invested almost $2.85 million to purchase the 101-year-old, 103,652-square-foot, historic US Baird Building in Stratford, Conn., and then spent another $18 million to transformed it into a state-of-the-art microbrewery, initially creating 15 jobs with plans to hire 70 additional workers within the next 8 years. To assist the firm in its venture, Two Roads Brewing Co. received a $500,000 grant from the State Department of Economic and Community Development for site remediation, a $100,000 Small Business Express grant, also from DECD, and an additional $1 million loan from the Connecticut Development Authority.

Mayor John Harkins noted that a unique private-public partnership helped bring Two Roads Brewing Co. to Stratford. “This is an enormous investment in our community,” Harkins said.

Revitalizing an idle but beautiful manufacturing building in Connecticut has been an integral part of our mission here at Two Roads Brewing, Brad Hittle, one of the four partners at the Brewery said. With the strong support of the Town of Stratford and the State of Connecticut, we are close to fulfilling that mission.

Mayor Harkins credited Governor Dannel Malloy and Stratford’s local legislators for supporting changes to state liquor laws that enabled businesses like Two Roads Brewing to be able to operate successfully. Approved changes include provisions that allow breweries to sell craft beer to wholesalers, permit a brewery to sell a glasses of beer to visitors, and allow package sales to customers.

A section of the revised legislation also allows breweries to provide beer offerings and tastings without requiring a visitor to first take a tour of the premises and increases the amount of beer that may be sold at retail to an individual.

“The investment of private money to redevelop an existing manufacturing property bringing up to 70 new jobs to our community is very exciting and encouraging, especially in this tough economy,” said State Senator Kevin Kelly, when the plant celebrated its opening. “For months now, the Stratford delegation has been united in supporting the Two Roads project.”

“This was a tremendous team effort between a company with a great business plan, and state and local leaders,” said State Rep. Laura Hoydick, when the brewery opened. “The benefits that Two Roads Brewery will provide to Stratford cannot be understated, and it is terrific to see the results of all this work coming together in a great new business in our town.”

RELATED TOPICS AND ARTICLES

Exclusive Research