USA, OR: Great Notion Brewing signs lease for a new production facility

It's been just over a year since Great Notion Brewing officially brewed its first batch of beer and started serving pints from its taproom on Northeast Alberta Street, and already, the upstart brewery is on the rise, the Portland Business Journal reported on January 18.

Originally founded in 2015 by three Portland neighbors — James Dugan, Andy Miller and Paul Reiter — Great Notion has signed a lease for a 20,000-square-foot production facility and restaurant in an industrial area of Northwest Portland. The building, at 2448 N.W. 28th Ave., will include about 17,500 square feet of production space and 2,500 square feet for the restaurant and taproom. Great Notion, which has become known for its New England style IPA and its unique sours and stouts, will maintain its current location on Northeast Alberta.

The expansion will also find Great Notion jumping from a seven-barrel brewing system to a 30-barrel system, which Reiter said will put the brewery on track to produce about 2,000 barrels this year and up to 4,000 barrels next year. In addition, the brewery will also invest in a canning line, which will allow it to more efficiently sell directly to customers. At present, Great Notion sells pints in its Northeast taproom and also crowlers, or can versions of growlers.

The expansion is being funded by an SBA loan of just above $1 million.

Even with the expansion, Great Notion plans to continue selling directly to customers and doing a small amount of self-distribution, as opposed to jumping into the more traditional distribution scene.

Reiter said the new production facility should be up and running by the third quarter of this year, with the restaurant coming online not too long afterward. Great Notion currently employs about 20 people; the expansion should create another 15 to 20 new jobs.

19 January, 2017