EAST FISHKILL, New York – Sloop Brewing Co. was awarded a $650,000 Empire State Development grant and a $325,000 Excelsior Job Program tax credit to help fund the expansion of their East Fishkill facility, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul on April 4. At the outset, this expansion will add twelve jobs and increase production by 25%, with a doubling of total capacity and dozens of new hires as production ramps up. It will also allow Sloop to continue meeting production needs in East Fishkill, building production in Dutchess County and helping to expand hospitality and tourist facilities at iPark 84, the former East Fishkill IBM site.
“We really appreciate the faith shown in us by New York State in awarding us our second ESD grant,” said Adam Watson, president and co-founder of Sloop. “Our first grant in 2017 helped us begin construction on this facility at iPark – opening our full service restaurant on site, becoming the fastest growing regional craft brewery in the country, and now selling beer in almost twenty states. With this new grant, we will continue that expansion and continue creating jobs in the Hudson Valley.”
“It’s an important step in continuing to revitalize this old IBM plant,” said Justin Taylor, chief product officer and co-founder of Sloop. “My dad worked here for IBM, and I know personally how important this is for the Hudson Valley. Not only can we double our capacity and continue to expand manufacturing here in upstate New York, but we expect to offer public tours of our brewery for the first time, increasing tourism and foot traffic here in East Fishkill.”
“It’s not just hiring more people – we expect to greatly expand our job training programs,” said Alyssa McAuley, Sloop’s director of operations. “We’re fully committed to inclusionary hiring practices and providing training and entry level positions in an industry that is traditionally very difficult to break into. With more positions available and new, state of the art equipment, we hope to do even more to support this community, support our Open Waters internship program, and help break down barriers in the craft beverage industry.”
About Sloop Brewing Company
Founded by President Adam Watson and Chief Product Officer Justin Taylor in 2011 in a Poughkeepsie garage, Sloop has gone from selling beer at farmers’ markets and hand delivering kegs to being one of the hundred largest craft breweries in the country. In 2018, Sloop opened their 25,000 square foot brewery in East Fishkill, NY, allowing them to ramp up production of Juice Bomb, Super Soft, the WBC gold medal winning sour Confliction, and their constantly rotating portfolio of limited releases; they also have a full service restaurant, bar, and private event space all on site. Their beer is currently available in AL, CT, DC, FL, KY, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WI, and internationally. Named for the boats that once moved people and cargo up and down the Hudson, Sloop is proud to be a part of a growing craft beverage movement and a growing upstate New York economy
For More Information:
https://www.sloopbrewing.com