Arrowtown Brewing Co has shut up shop in the town, the
four-year-old craft beer label shifting operations to
Invercargill.
Demand for the brand, which boasts 15 different types of
beer, has left ABC co-owner Greg McMeeken little choice but
to relocate to bigger premises in Invercargill.
Company costs in Arrowtown forced Mr McMeeken to sell the bar
where it all began and focus solely on brewing.
The closure of the Arrowtown bar has not been all bad news
for the company as it now looks to expand throughout Otago
and Southland, concentrating mainly on supermarkets.
While Mr McMeeken and marketing manager Darryl Jones will
stay in Arrowtown, brewer John Timpany will remain in
Invercargill.
''There was a rumour going around that we had gone broke.
There is a big demand in supermarkets; it's all about volume
now,'' Mr McMeeken said.
''We need forklifts and tractors and we can't do it from the
main street of Arrowtown."
The bar closed on November 30, which was an emotional time
for both staff and customers, Mr McMeeken said.
''It's pretty sad really. People were asking me 'where are we
going to drink now?'."
The company planned to concentrate solely on brewing and on a
larger scale, which was likely to result in Queenstown bars
and others further south stocking the label's beers in
future.
ABC beer is now available at Arrowtown's The Tap and Fork as
well as the town's latest bar addition, La Rumbla, which
opened next door two months ago. ABC would approach more
outlets about its product because its expansion meant it
could deliver in greater volume.
''You'll see a huge influence up here in the next year or
so."
They also planned to continue the mobile bar for events in
Central Otago such as Warbirds over Wanaka, market days and
A&P shows.
The ultimate goal for ABC was to build its website so all
orders from customers could be done online, Mr McMeeken said.
The company also has plans for a bar in Invercargill once it
is settled there.
''We were always going to be in a situation where we had to
expand. We started four years ago and tried to create a new
product and it's been fantastic. The response has been
great."
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