USA, LA: Faubourg Brewing Co. shuttering beermaking operations in New Orleans East

Faubourg Brewing Co. is shuttering its beermaking operations at its facility in New Orleans East a year after Saints owner Gayle Benson sold a stake in the former Dixie Brewery to Alabama-based brewery Made By The Water.

In a written statement, Made by the Water, which owns several breweries in the southeast, said the company "has reached a point where the brewing facility in New Orleans East cannot meet the current demands of our family of breweries. While our first preference was to expand the brewery operations at our current facility, unfortunately, despite our best efforts and those of local stakeholders, that is not feasible."

The statement, which was first reported by WWL-TV, says Made by the Water will shift most of its brewing operations to other facilities and contract brewing partners, while exploring options for a new manufacturing home in the area.

The move comes a little over a year after Faubourg Brewing, which was purchased six years ago by Gayle and Tom Benson, announced it was merging with Made by the Water and two other other regional breweries owned by an Alabama private equity firm.

At the time, the deal was lauded by the Benson organization as an economic development win with the aim of building a regional craft beer powerhouse. The financial terms were not disclosed, but the deal was described as a "50/50 partnership."

In a prepared statement, Benson spokesperson Greg Bensel said the brewery, though controlled by Made by the Water, "remains a major priority of Mrs. Benson to continue to build on economic development especially in New Orleans East."

He said that as they have worked to expand manufacturing, they "have encountered issues like any business," adding that they received support from Mayor LaToya Cantrell and City Councilman Oliver Thomas as they tried to figure out a path forward.

Reached by phone on November 14, Made by the Water CEO Alexi Sekmakas said, "obviously, it is a huge disappointment for us."

He declined to explain why Faubourg's Jourdan Road brewery is unable to meet Made by the Water's production demands and why it was unable to expand.

"But we remain optimistic," he said, referring additional comment to the written statement.

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