USA, MN: F-Town Brewing Company launched in Faribault

F-Town Brewing Company, a craft brewery in downtown Faribault, opened the doors to its taproom and released its beer in retail on July 8, Southernminn.com reported the same day.

For F-Town Brewing Company’s owners Travis Temke, Noah Strouth and Chris Voegele, it has been a long time coming.

Strouth and Voegele made beer together in the past and tossed around the idea of opening a brewery, but the idea didn’t fully ferment until Temke came into the mix.

“All three of us complement each other in the fact that we all have different talents,” Temke said.

Temke came into brewing with expertise in business and financing. His experience helped them find and acquire funds for the business. Strouth and Voegele brought the expertise of brewing and building the retail space.

In 2014, the brewery received a total of $500,000 in loans from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, the Faribault Economic Development Authority, the 1st United Bank of Faribault, Rice County Economic Development Authority and Faribault Industrial Corporation to get the business started.

The brewery is located at the old Peterson Art Warehouse Building at 22 Fourth St. NE in downtown Faribault.

“It was a ridiculous amount of work, and it turned out great because of the support of a lot of great people,” Voegele said. “That support drove us forward.”

“It’s not just about the beer,” Temke said. “It’s about the people involved, and that they take great care in what they make. We’ll be a great economic driver in this area and draw a lot of attention and tourism.”

10 July, 2015