Before it moved into a new 67,000 sq. ft. brewing facility at 100 Clinton Street in Framingham, Mass., popular Boston-area craft brewery Jack’s Abby occupied just 15,000 sq. ft. of space in a warehouse less than one mile away from its current location.
And when the company finishes building out an expanded “Springdale” taproom and barrel-aging space in a recently acquired area next door to its existing production site, it will officially be operating within a 130,000 sq. ft. footprint.
That’s an incredibly rapid expansion by anyone’s measure, including co-founder Jack Hendler.
“It is a little crazy for us to take over that space right now, but the timing is right,” he told a crowd of 150 beer industry professionals who attended a Brew Talks event on Monday night.
The decision to add another 63,000 sq. ft. comes as the company is nearly doubling production — it plans to produce about 36,000 barrels in 2016 — and learning how to manage a much larger staff.
“You have to build systems at the same time, that add checks and balances, and make sure that you do at least have your thumb on the pulse at all times,” co-founder Sam Hendler said of quadrupling his team and delegating responsibilities to key management figures. “[We are] trying to figure out systems that will make us function in a much more efficient way as opposed to just crossing our fingers and hoping.”
At the same time, the Hendler’s are preparing to launch an entirely new venture, Springdale Barrel Room, which they claim will be the largest barrel-aging program in New England.
The pace which Jack’s Abby has expanded, coupled with a number of new market entries, has provided the Hendler’s with plenty of insight into the competitive craft marketplace that their company operates within.
“In our new markets, we are definitely seeing how much better we have to be at our job to sell beer farther away from home,” Sam Hendler told the crowd. “We have to be more organized; we have to be more focused; we have to really have our goals really clear and go execute.”
In the video below, Sam and Jack Hendler discuss their strategies for competing in an ultra-crowded craft segment and their plans for the recently announced Springdale Barrel Room.
Additional coverage of Brew Talks New England: Massachusetts Treasurer’s Office Readies Task Force to Examine Alcohol Laws
Photos from Brew Talks New England can also be found on Facebook.