As we reported in May, Charlestown's Downeast Cider is looking to expand – and after a lengthy search the prolific boozy cider co. has locked down a new production facility in East Boston.
"In a perfect world we'd stay in Charlestown, but there's not a ton of good space for us here," founder Ross Brockman told us then. "We want to be close enough to the city that we're easily accessible to visit."
"We thought our current facility was comically big for us when we moved in two years ago."
Brockman circled back with BostInno today, telling us the hard cider company has officially signed a five-year lease for 16,000 square feet in East Boston's Boston Harbor Shipyard. The move triples their current production space and marks the fourth expansion in as many years. The new facility should open in mid-2016.
"We have a lot of thirsty mouths to feed and we can't fulfill that opportunity out of this space in Charlestown," Brockman told me. Currently their main production facility is located at 200 Terminal St.
Production pace for Downeast is now over 620,000 gallons per year, which can increase tenfold with the new space.
“Our customers have been amazingly supportive and timing has been exceptional," said Brockman. "We thought our current facility was comically big for us when we moved in two years ago, but for the past six months we’ve been bursting at the seams.”
The Charlestown facility will remain open, hosting tours and serving as a small-batch and developmental production site. It will also continue to host tastings, music shows, fundraisers and trivia nights.
“We’re doing what we’ve done since our earliest days in an 800-square-foot room up in Waterville, ME,” said co-founder Tyler Mosher, “a different take on cider: unfiltered with an ale fermentation. People love it, so it’s on us to let it grow: bigger facility, better equipment, same team. We’re having a lot of fun, this is exciting.”
Image provided.
