Sloop is brewing up a bigger brewery
The Sloop Brewing Company in East Fishkill is hoping that $975,000 in new financial assistance from New York state will be the catalyst for expansion not only of its physical plant and local business but also for expanding the reach and recognition of its brands on a national and international basis.
Sloop produces a product line of brews that recently included 18 varieties such as stouts, IPAs and pilsners. Some of the Sloop beers carry the flavors of various fruits, including oranges, raspberries and peaches. It markets some of the brews as what it calls “Juice Bombs.” One of its stouts is described as having “roasty notes of chocolate.”
Located in iPark 84, the former IBM campus, the Sloop facility features a restaurant, tasting room and event space along with the factory. The restaurant”™s menu includes wood-fired pizzas, burgers, salads and side dishes.
Both a grant of $650,000 from Empire State Development and a $325,000 tax credit through the Excelsior Job Program are helping to fund the expansion of Sloop”™s East Fishkill facility.
“The facility that we have now is a 30-barrel brew house, which allows us to produce about 1,000 gallons of beer per brew,” Justin Taylor, co-founder and chief product officer of Sloop told the Business Journals. “We operate 24 hours a day. The new facility will be constructed to have the same size brew house, which theoretically will allow us to double our capacity.”
Taylor founded the company with Adam Watson, who serves as company president. They began in 2011 in a garage in Poughkeepsie, selling their beer at farmers markets in the Hudson Valley. In 2014, they began operating out of a barn in Elizaville, New York. In 2017, the company received $565,000 in state funding to help it establish its 25,000-square-foot facility at the iPark site in East Fishkill.
Taylor said that in a 24-hour period the current plant is able to turn out about 2,800 cases of beer, an amount that would fill about 400 kegs.
“We”™re one of the larger breweries in the Hudson Valley,” Taylor said. “In 2020, we were ranked as the 72nd largest craft brewery in the country. I believe there are about 9,000 of them. We had a very good 2021, so we hope that number will get better, eventually cracking the top 50 in the country.”
Taylor said that the number of visitors to its plant, restaurant and tasting room has been on the increase recently.
“With the government lifting restrictions, what we”™ve been seeing is there”™s a lot more foot traffic throughout the weekends and especially as the weather warms, people feel more comfortable leaving their houses and coming out, enjoying some really good food and some wonderful beer,” Taylor said.
Sloop currently employs from 60 to 70 people in East Fishkill, with the number of people working at the restaurant dependent with how busy it is.
“On the manufacturing side, we have about 20 employees in a production team,” Taylor said. “We have upwards of 10 people in the office at one time and we have five sales staff with a sixth being added shortly. This new opportunity that we have will allow us to extend our production staff.”
Taylor said that the company has an internship program that extends to specialized populations. Known as Open Waters, the program offers paid internships covering all aspects of beer production to individuals age 21 and up who commit to a minimum of 20 hours a week for at least three months. In an effort to expand diversity in the brewing industry, the program has reached out to members of the LGBTQ community and special needs populations.
Taylor said that as the company expands its facilities and staff, it also plans to expand its distribution. Sloop products currently are available in 18 states and the District of Columbia. The company also has limited international distribution.
“Our primary focus now is to grow within the states that we have distribution. We have a couple more on the East Coast that we have to fill out and then we can start seeing some expansion westward,” Taylor said. “It”™s a tremendous industry to be a part of. You”™re constantly tapping into your creative thoughts and ideas and at the same time you have to be savvy enough to be running an actual business. Running a brewery is not just about making good beer. It”™s about making good business decisions and being part of the community.”