Arbor Brewing Co made headlines a couple of years ago with its expansion into India, opening a brewpub in Bangalore. Today it's capitalizing on that success by working to open a production plant in Goa then follow with taverns that stretch across the continent.
"The plan is to open a series of taverns that are fed from this central location," says Rene Greff, who co-owns
Arbor Brewing Co with her husband Matt Greff.
Arbor Brewing Co launched in 1996, opening a brewpub in downtown Ann Arbor. It followed with the Corner Brewery near Ypsilanti’s Depot Town a few years later. The company employs about 90 people between the two locations. It brews about 6,500 barrels of beer for distribution across Michigan between the two locations.
A former University of Michigan student and patron of Arbor Brewing Co reached out to the Greffs about opening up a franchise of the micro brewery in India a few years ago. Not long after that
Arbor Brewing Co India opened in Bangalore and started packing big crowds into its space. The Greffs have talked about expanding further into India or Asia with another franchise.
The plans for a production plant are more ambitious. When fully operational the India brewery will have the capability to producing 100,000 barrels of beer annually.
"This is going to be much bigger (than Arbor Brewing Co's Michigan operation, which maxes out at 10,000 barrels a year)," Rene Greff says.
Arbor Brewing Co India has already purchased the land for the production plant and expects to begin construction within a month. Brewing equipment is set for delivery in early May.
"It would be really nice if we were producing beer by the end of the year," Rene Greff says. "But I wouldn't be surprised if it slips into the spring of 2017."
The master plan for the India expansion also includes the opening of at least half a dozen taverns in regions across India. The Greffs hope to open a couple this year at the same time the production plant opens with as many as six within the next three years. Distribution of Arbor Brewing Co's beers across India and Asia is also up for consideration within a couple of years after the production plant opens,
"When we first get up and going we plan to focus on the Indian market," Rene Greff says.
Source: Rene Greff, co-owner of Arbor Brewing Co
Writer: Jon Zemke
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