Blue Bee was one of several suitors for the city’s stables. Photos by Michael Thompson.
Entering a swarm of boozy competitors, a local cidery has secured its place in one of Richmond’s hottest neighborhoods.
Blue Bee Cider has finalized its purchase of the city-owned stables at 3101 W. Clay St. The 9,000-square-foot property will be transformed over the next several months into the hard cidermaker’s new manufacturing facility and tasting room, replacing its current location in Manchester.
The deal closed Thursday with a purchase price of $395,000, according to Blue Bee owner Courtney Mailey, and the occasion was marked on site with a celebratory toast with Mayor Dwight Jones, Gov. Terry McAulliffe and State Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore in attendance.
Mailey was joined by Sec. Haymore, Mayor Jones and Gov. McAulliffe at Thursday’s event.
Mailey, who launched Blue Bee three years ago, said she hopes to begin operations and open the site to the public in the fall.
In addition to selling Blue Bee the Scott’s Addition property, the city is giving the company a $50,000 grant to help the business take flight in its new home.
“Scott’s Addition is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Richmond,” Jones said at the event celebrating Blue Bee’s expansion.
The city funds are a matching grant of $50,000 from the state’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund.
Blue Bee plans to invest more than $1 million to renovate the property. The company plans to purchase $275,000 of Virginia-grown apples and berries from Virginia farmers over the next three years.
The expansion will let Blue Bee triple its production of hard cider to more than 100,000 bottles per year. Blue Bee sold more than 300 cases of hard cider in 2015, Mailey said.
The new space will house Blue Bee’s offices, machine and tool repairs, lab work, tank storage, labeling, and retail. As Mailey noted in her remarks at Thursday’s event, the property at West Clay Street was “highly coveted by developers.” The city received unsolicited proposals for the property from Legend Brewing Co., wine distributor Tap26, Nolen Blackwood and others.
“We’re actually going to use every inch of the square footage here,” Mailey said.
Blue Bee will join a bevy of booze makers in Scott’s Addition, including several breweries, a meadery and another cidery that’s in the works.
Blue Bee was one of several suitors for the city’s stables. Photos by Michael Thompson.
Entering a swarm of boozy competitors, a local cidery has secured its place in one of Richmond’s hottest neighborhoods.
Blue Bee Cider has finalized its purchase of the city-owned stables at 3101 W. Clay St. The 9,000-square-foot property will be transformed over the next several months into the hard cidermaker’s new manufacturing facility and tasting room, replacing its current location in Manchester.
The deal closed Thursday with a purchase price of $395,000, according to Blue Bee owner Courtney Mailey, and the occasion was marked on site with a celebratory toast with Mayor Dwight Jones, Gov. Terry McAulliffe and State Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore in attendance.
Mailey was joined by Sec. Haymore, Mayor Jones and Gov. McAulliffe at Thursday’s event.
Mailey, who launched Blue Bee three years ago, said she hopes to begin operations and open the site to the public in the fall.
In addition to selling Blue Bee the Scott’s Addition property, the city is giving the company a $50,000 grant to help the business take flight in its new home.
“Scott’s Addition is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Richmond,” Jones said at the event celebrating Blue Bee’s expansion.
The city funds are a matching grant of $50,000 from the state’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund.
Blue Bee plans to invest more than $1 million to renovate the property. The company plans to purchase $275,000 of Virginia-grown apples and berries from Virginia farmers over the next three years.
The expansion will let Blue Bee triple its production of hard cider to more than 100,000 bottles per year. Blue Bee sold more than 300 cases of hard cider in 2015, Mailey said.
The new space will house Blue Bee’s offices, machine and tool repairs, lab work, tank storage, labeling, and retail. As Mailey noted in her remarks at Thursday’s event, the property at West Clay Street was “highly coveted by developers.” The city received unsolicited proposals for the property from Legend Brewing Co., wine distributor Tap26, Nolen Blackwood and others.
“We’re actually going to use every inch of the square footage here,” Mailey said.
Blue Bee will join a bevy of booze makers in Scott’s Addition, including several breweries, a meadery and another cidery that’s in the works.
Another wonderful business right around the corner from Richmond Triangle Players, the cultural anchor of Scott’s Addition!