Located in Turlock, Calif., Dust Bowl Brewing Co. is a craft brand building a considerable future. That building starts with a new $12.5 million brewery, just west of Highway 99. Dust Bowl produced its first beer in May 2009. Back then, its initial brewery was designed from the ground up by founder Brett Tate and brewmaster Don Oliver. The 10-barrel, state-of-the-art system is capable of temperature-programmed mashing, allowing for great recipe flexibility, but now the brewery is ready to expand — especially with crazy numbers like sales growth of 300 percent in 2010, 85 percent in 2011, 55 percent in 2012 and 98 percent in 2013 (check the numbers right here).
Dust Bowl broke ground on this new adventure last week, and we thought it would be cool to do a quick overview of the expansion. So, here are a few of the facts with some crystal clear photos of the groundbreaking.
BROKE GROUND: April 8, 2015
COMPLETION: December 2015
LOCATION: 3000 Fulkerth Road, Turlock, CA 95380 (corner of Fulkerth Road and Dianne Drive, easy access to the west of Highway 99)
INVESTMENT: $12.5 million
SIZE: 30,000-square feet facility on five-acre parcel purchased in 2013
BREWING SYSTEM: CFT, Parma, Italy
INITIAL CAPACITY: 17,000 barrels per year
SALES PROJECTION: 10,000 barrels in first year (currently maxed out at 5,400 barrels per year simply because they cannot produce more in its existing brewery)
GROWTH POTENTIAL: Footprint allows for growth up to 100,000 barrels annually
EXPAND PORTFOLIO: Product mix to feature six year-round 6 packs, four seasonal 4 packs, four seasonal 22-ounce bombers and packaged specialty releases.
DISTRIBUTION: Expand into all of California (new regions to include Southern California, Central Coast, South San Francisco Bay Area).
AMENITIES: Brewery tours, tasting room, light fare, retail sales of packaged product and swag, indoor and outdoor seating.
VISION: Develop facility to serve as a full-service venue for business, community and social occasions.
EMPLOYEES: Anticipate 15 to 25 new positions from management to production to sales; currently employ 50 (positions will be posted on www.dustbowlbrewing.com).
OWNERS: Brett and Karen Tate and Brett and Camy Honoré.
