Jack’s Abby, one of Massachusetts’ fastest growing craft breweries, is set to embark on a major expansion that will more than triple its brewing capacity.
The Framingham-based company today announced its development plans, which will boost annual production capabilities and enable the brewery to expand distribution throughout New England.
This upcoming spring, Jack’s Abby will takeover a former 67,000 sq. ft. manufacturing space and install a 60-barrel brewhouse, new fermentation tanks, larger office space and a 5,000 sq. ft. restaurant.
Though specific investment figures were not disclosed, Jack’s Abby said the expansion will allow the company to immediately increase its brewing capacity to 50,000 barrels and expand its quality assurance and control laboratory space.
Jack’s Abby, founded in 2011 by three brothers — Jack, Sam and Eric Hendler — also plans to install a canning line, giving the fast-growing startup an opportunity to expand its packaged offerings.
“We’ve developed a great relationship with the town of Framingham over the past three years and couldn’t be happier that we found a location for the brewery that meets our needs and is central to downtown,” Jack Hendler, owner and head brewer of Jack’s Abby, said in a news release. “Not only are we able to increase our capacity but we will also [be] able to offer 12-packs of bottles and cans. These are projects that we have wanted to do, but just don’t have the room for in our current space.”
The new facility, which the company hopes will be operational before the end of 2015, will eventually be capable of producing upwards of 125,000 barrels annually.
Jack’s Abby, known for its lager-centric portfolio, will also build out a 5,000 sq. ft. restaurant and tasting room in the Clinton Street location. Specific dining options have yet to be decided, but the company is teasing a full menu as well as traditional bar snacks.
The company’s current plans are to shut down its 12,000 sq. ft. Morton Street operation after the new facility is up and running, co-founder Sam Hendler told Brewbound, but there will likely be some operational overlap as Jack’s Abby get settled in its new home.
“We’ll probably have to figure out a way to run both for a short period of time,” he said.
Furthermore, the added capacity will allow for the brewery to expand its existing presence in Connecticut, upstate New York and Vermont. And, while “nothing is solidified,” the company also plans to expand distribution throughout the rest of New England after the new brewery is open, Sam Hendler told Brewbound.
Jack’s Abby will sell approximately 14,000 barrels in 2014 and is projecting growth of nearly 43 percent in 2015. It expects to hire as many as 40 new employees by the end of 2016 to staff the new brewery, restaurant, and quality assurance/quality control laboratory.