E-Malt.com News article: USA, CA & NC: Sierra Nevada Brewing expands to North Carolina

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. of Chico says it will build its second brewery in Mills River, a small town near Asheville, N.C., in the Appalachian Mountains, Central Valley Business Times reported on January, 26.

Building the brewery to serve the East Coast will create 95 full-time and 80 part-time jobs, according to the North Carolina governor’s office.

Another 60 construction and mechanical jobs will be created by the construction, expected to start later this year and be completed in 2014.

“The investment, jobs and brand recognition Sierra Nevada brings will be a boon to this region and help confirm North Carolina as a destination for innovation," says North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue.

North Carolina is home to more craft breweries than any Southern state – 21 brewpubs and 28 production breweries – with western North Carolina being particularly strong.

"The original brewery in Chico is reaching capacity, and the demand for our beer continues to increase," says Sierra Nevada CEO Ken Grossman. "We felt the most responsible thing to do was to build a brewery on the other side of the country, to lessen our impact on the environment.”

Sierra Nevada has about 500 employees at its Chico brewing complex.

In North Carolina, salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $41,526 plus benefits. The average annual wage is $32,240 in the area, the governor’s office says.

Sierra Nevada is getting a grant of just over $1 mln from the One North Carolina Fund, which provides financial assistance to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment performance standards to qualify for grant funds, the governor’s office says. The grants also require and are contingent upon local matches.

Sierra Nevada says it expects to spend about $107.5 mln during the next five years on the project.


27 January, 2012