Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • July 22, 2019 • Hartford Business Journal 9 nearly completed a major $1 mil- lion infrastructure rebuild of his 36,000-square-foot Bloomfield facility, adding new cooling systems, fermentation tanks and a centrifuge machine, which separates solids from beer. The renovation includes adding a $150,000 com- mercial kitchen that will serve pizza and other food offerings currently sold at Hooker's Hart- ford taproom. Cameron spent an addi- tional $700,000 buying a 30,000-square- foot manufactur- ing/warehousing facility behind his Tobey Road headquarters in Bloomfield for beer production and storage. Liquor reforms that allow cross- selling of products, Cameron said, is the biggest benefit for Thomas Hook- er, which annually produces 15,000 barrels and sells the majority of that through wholesalers. Cameron isn't sure which alcoholic products Thomas Hooker will add, but he said he's intrigued about being able to sell meads, hard ciders and cocktails. "It's all about creating options for the consumer and this really opens up the possibilities," Cameron said of the liquor reforms. Almost five miles south, Hog River Brewing in the Parkville neighbor- hood of Hartford recently acquired a 3,500-square-foot space that will be dedicated for a 100-seat private event area later this summer. The brewery, which currently pro- duces 500 barrels a year, will also be able to manufacture more than 1,000 barrels in 2020 when it more than doubles its brewing footprint later this year. That expansion will cost $150,000. Ben Braddock, who co-owns Hog River Brewing with his wife, Joy, said their business will also start to of- fer additional locally-produced products in their taproom to pair with their current offerings of craft beer, hard cider and wine. "Increasing the limits for per- person sales is huge for us," Joy Braddock said. "It's hard to run a business when you're told what you can't do all the time." In Manches- ter, the three co-owners of Labyrinth Brew- ing Co. aren't worried about the new excise tax, even though the change will be costly for the one-year-old brewery because their taproom accounts for 95 percent of overall sales. They haven't projected how much the new excise tax will cost the business. Co-owner Adam Delaura said the brewery, housed in a former silk mill, is planning to expand its production capacity and overall square footage amid unexpected positive growth during its first year in operation. The brewers are also looking to cross-sell its craft beer products with other area wineries and cideries to continue pushing its brand in the region. Evolving its offerings will be key for Labyrinth to stay relevant and grow, Delaura said. "Nobody likes to pay more taxes, but are we going to live? Yes we are," he said. "I think if we could push into cideries, wineries, meaderies and craft distilleries, this all makes it a lot easier to get our name out there." FOCUS PDS has been meeting the needs of the construction industry since 1965. Our dedicated team of design and construction professionals welcomes the challenge of serving its past and future customers on their most demanding projects. Impact Plastics | Putnam, Connecticut PDS recently designed and built a state of the art two story 12,000 square foot addition onto their existing facility. The new addition features offi ce space, polished concrete fl oors, frameless glass conference room, work laboratories, second fl oor exterior patio and all energy effi cient materials. This project was completed on time and within the owners budget. Project Size: 12,000 SF 107 Old Windsor Road, Bloomfi eld, CT 06002 (860) 242-8586 | Fax (860) 242-8587 www.pdsec.com DESIGN BUILDERS • GENERAL CONTRACTORS • CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS SPOTLIGHT ON: C PDS ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION, INC. THINK • PLAN • BUILD Ben and Joy Braddock, co-owners of Hartford's Hog River Brewing Co., are currently doubling their brewing facility in the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford. A fresh batch of beer being prepared at Hartford's Thomas Hooker Brewery. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED On average, we save our clients 10 to 20% on all goods and services and our business model is risk free. For a company that is in manufacturing or has large expenditures, this can make a huge impact. WHAT WOULD A 20% SAVINGS ON PROCURED ITEMS MEAN TO YOUR BUSINESS? Visit our website at www.StrategicSupplyChainSolutions.com or contact us at 860-477-4742. We would be glad to discuss how we can bring results to your business' bottom line.

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