IS two ‘big things’ in one city, one too many? Proprietors of the Macarthur Grange Brewery think not.
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CEO Anton Szpitalak revealed on Tuesday plans for a 30-metre tall beer bottle as a tourist drawcard for the proposed Goulburn brewery site.
“The big beer bottle is a little bit of fun for our beer but also an additional part of the concept we have developed to bring tourists to the site,” Mr Szpitalak said.
“We want there to be a drawcard for people to come and see, and be engaged with the brand. We are focused around experience to customers – it’s a big part of what we are doing in Goulburn.”
If approved, the larger-than-life bevvie will sit just across the road from Rambo.
Details of the attraction and other development plans will be available for public exhibition once the official development application is submitted in the coming weeks, Mr Szpitalak continued.
“When it comes to local Council the concept is you have to submit what you are looking for in the development… all the details of the facility will be laid there and the community will then have a chance to review it.”
Once the application is submitted to Council, it will be on exhibition for the required period of 4 weeks, during which time formal comments and submissions will be called upon. The DA will be available to review from Council’s website.
Meantime, community members have embraced the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback about the business at a recent information session.
Mr Szpitalak said he and his business partners were encouraged by the show of support at the meet and greet held last Thursday evening.
He said while many in attendance just wanted to know where they could sample a taste the boutique beer; others (including neighbours of the site) were interested in more technical details, like impacts on traffic, noise and general production.
“We had well over a hundred people come to the event, and it was great. Everyone was able to learn a bit about Macarthur Grange and see some of the products. It was very positive across the board,” he said.
“A handful of people were asking specific technical questions, which were pretty far ranging –from traffic to noise and questions about how it’s made but overall nobody was asking from a point of concern.
“We had a lot of our neighbours (to the site) attend, who were some of the most vocal supporters of the proposal.”
The facility will be a big boost for the City’s economic environment, with some 150 jobs expected to become available in the coming years, once the Brewery is running at its maximum capability.
“That is at full-scale and we are very careful to say that it will take many years for us to reach that full potential,” Mr Szpitalak explained.
“We’ve got a lot of ground to cover. The best thing we can do now is get the DA sorted out so we can move to the next phase – the planning and engineering phase, and take it all the way through to hiring people.”
Opportunities for jobs will range from positions in admin to forklift drivers, brewers and production workers among a wide spectrum of others. Mr Szpitalak said while many will be available locally, others will require a specific skill-set.
“We really hope people will get behind the brand and make Stockade Goulburn’s beer,” he said.
“It’s very Australian and has a very rustic feel to it, with a bit of Australian heritage. There’s an opportunity for us to really (make something of it) here.”
The facility will offer a ‘whole’ experience, Mr Szpitalak said. From guided tours of the facility to tastings, opportunities for special events and even the prospect of local Oktoberfest events, the company hopes to provide an ‘engaging’ customer-focused experience.
If all goes to plan, the brewery will start operations by mid to late 2015.
Meantime, for those busting to sample a taste of Goulburn’s new beer, a limited number of Macarthur Grange Stockade products are now available from the Empire drive-through bottle shop on Ellesmere Street.
They are the only outlet in town stocking the product, and are happy to support the prospect of new industry in Goulburn.
“We are happy to try something new, it either works or it doesn’t,” bottle shop manager Wayne Kimber said.
“(The gold) has a different sort of taste but I really like it.”