USA, OR & NC: Deschutes Brewery to expand in North Carolina

Another major craft brewer looking to grow its East Coast presence is considering North Carolina for a large-scale operation, Charlotte Business Journal reported on April 28.

Brewery of Bend, Ore., has visited the Asheville area as it scouts locations for a brewery that would come on line in 2019.

Deschutes President Michael LaLonde told the newspaper he was impressed with the quality of life and the restaurant scene and is "looking for great culture, a lot of outdoor activities - a place where employees who live here in Bend would love to go and move to an East Coast location."

LaLonde said that along with North Carolina, the company is considering spots in Greenville and Charleston, S.C., as well as Virginia and Tennessee. The company is planning for a brewery that can produce about 200,000 barrels each year and would have a work force of about 100.

Deschutes was founded in 1988 and now ships beer to 28 states (but not North Carolina) and is the eighth-largest craft brewery in the country, based on 2014 sales figures compiled by the Brewers Association.

Western North Carolina has proved to be a popular locale for craft breweries looking to reach East Coast consumers. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. of Chico, Calif., and New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins, Colo., the nation's third- and fourth-largest craft brewers, have recently completed major expansions in the Asheville area. And Oskar Blues Brewery of Longmont, Colo., located a brewery in Brevard.

Stone Brewing Co. of Escondido, Calif., also took a hard look at the state before selecting Richmond, Va., for its East Coast operation.

29 April, 2015