Press Release:
(Lakeland, FL) – Finding a site that accommodates its unique utility needs and sits in a prime location for distribution, Brew Hub LLC has signed a 50,400-square-foot industrial lease at 4100 South Frontage Road, Building 700, in Lakeland.
St. Louis-based Brew Hub is a new business model in the craft brewing industry. Brew Hub allows craft brewers to partner with the company and brew their beers onsite, and then have the beer packaged and distributed using the Brew Hub distribution system. This will allow craft brewers to expand their distribution without the overhead costs of building new breweries or transporting beer across the country.
Brew Hub will also offer craft breweries services including sales, marketing, logistics, legal, and government affairs. The Lakeland brewery will have an initial brewing capacity of 75,000 barrels, or one million cases, annually.
Edward Miller, CCIM, SIOR, and Dolores Seymour, MCR, CCIM, SIOR, of Colliers International Tampa Bay represented the tenant in the transaction. Jan Boltres, CCIM, of Colliers International Tampa Bay represented the landlord, Aspyre Properties.
To brew, package and distribute up to 75,000 barrels of craft beer annually, Brew Hub requires a facility that provides access to critical utilities, including water, sewer, electric and gas. The facility, expected to start construction in May, will be built according to Brew Hub’s specifications.
“This will be a very specialized build-out, especially to accommodate all the tanks and pipes involved in the brewing process,” said Seymour. “The shell has to be built first, and then the equipment will go in before construction can continue.”
Brew Hub also required a site that allows it to efficiently distribute beer to wholesalers throughout Florida and the Southeast. The facility is in Interstate Commerce Park off the Interstate 4 corridor, between Tampa Bay and Orlando.
Brew Hub brewing operations will be led by Chief Brewmaster, Paul Farnsworth, who will oversee all aspects of design, layout, construction and day-to-day operation of the new brewing, production and warehouse facility in Lakeland, Florida.
“The demographics of the geography are excellent,” said Seymour. “This site also offers curb appeal and visibility from I-4, and there are 8.5 million people within a 100-mile radius.”
In addition to the brewery, the facility will include a hospitality and tasting room. The Lakeland brewery is the first of five locations Brew Hub plans to open around the country over the next five years. Specific markets will be determined based on demand, but the company is considering strategic locations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Texas and West Coast. Howard Bayless at Marcobay Construction is the contractor for the Lakeland location.
Brew Hub was founded in 2012 in St. Louis, Mo., by a team of beer industry executives and craft brewing experts led by Tim Schoen. “Where Craft Brewers Go to Grow,” Brew Hub provides full brewing, packaging, distribution and selling services for craft brands that are capacity, geographical or capital constrained. The company plans to have five breweries located throughout the country that will cater to craft breweries. Each facility will allow craft brewers to partner brew their beers on site.
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