Province Invests $69,500 in Hammond River Brewing Co.
ROTHESAY– The New Brunswick government is investing $69,500 to help Hammond River Brewing Co. grow its operations.
The funding, in the form of a “non-repayable contribution” from Opportunities New Brunswick, will help the brewery increase its production capacity by adding a bottling line as well as plans to open a tasting room. The money supports the company’s capital expansion, including equipment purchases and leasehold improvements.
Hammond River Brewing Co., founded in Shane Steeves’ Quispamsis home in 2013, is tripling in size by moving to a new 278-square metre (3,000-square foot) production facility in Rothesay. With the capacity to brew batches of beer 15 to 30 times larger, and by adding a bottling line, the company will be able to serve more customers, explore export opportunities and create up to three jobs in the next year. The new facility is expected to open this spring.
“In the last three years, we have grown as much as we can with our current equipment and facilities,” said Steeves in a release. “The New Brunswick craft beer market is booming, and we are excited to expand to a full brewery serving many more clients in years to come.”
Hammond River currently produces seven types of beer that are sold to NB Liquor, as well as in restaurants in Saint Andrews, Saint John, Rothesay and Moncton. It also produces 20 seasonal, small-batch beers. Its products have won People’s Choice awards four years in a row at the Saint John Beer Fest.