E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI: Bell's Brewery Inc. to invest more than $7 mln in quality, sustainability and beer production

Craft beer pioneer Bell's Brewery Inc. plans to pump more than $7 million into capital improvement projects in Comstock Township and Kalamazoo between now and the end of 2018, MLive.co reported.

The projects are related to quality, sustainability and beer production, according to information provided by the maker of Oberon, Two Hearted Ale and Kalamazoo Stout.

They will involve Bell's locations in Comstock Township, but will include its Kalamazoo brewing operations, the company says.

"We are deeply committed to our community in Comstock and will continue to invest additional resources so that we remain top in class further ensuring our commitment to quality," Bell's President and Founder Larry Bell stated in a late Thursday press release. "We also want to offer our partners and customers additional options. These new projects will help us accomplish both."

According to the company, the investment will include the addition of a pilot brewery and a new specialty packaging line, among other beer production related projects, at Bell's brewery in Comstock Township.

A smaller pilot brewery is also be added to Bell's original brewing location in downtown Kalamazoo, adjacent to its pub and restaurant, the Eccentric Cafe, the company said.

Other new projects are expected to include the creation of additional space at the brewery's home office as well as a project to divert waste related to brewing.

"Instead of sending low-pH yeast to Kalamazoo's waste water treatment facility, it will be reclaimed and sold to local farmers to feed their animals, further enhancing Bell's commitment to sustainability," Bell's stated in the press release.

Bell's has a large brewhouse and production facility in Comstock Township with a 27,000-square-foot bottling hall, a 13,000-square-foot keg storage building, and a 100,000-square-foot warehouse and logistics center.

In downtown Kalamazoo, it has Bell's Eccentric Cafe, a tavern and full-service restaurant, with a beer garden and venue for music. It also has a retail shop, Bell's General Store at 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave.


06 July, 2017