From empty tyre factory to craft beer hub

Monday, 10 December 2018

Development of four new food and drink offerings at Upper Hutt's Brewtown means the brew hub will soon be full.

A brewing hub is close to brimming with the manager of the site having to turn away businesses wanting to set up shop at the site.

Brewtown business development manager Phil Gorman said the former Dunlop tyre factory site was preparing for four new businesses to move in.

The fit out is underway for two new breweries, a wine bar and Wild Kiwi Distillery. They are expected to be ready by March.

Boneface regularly attracts crowds on Friday and Saturday nights.

A space in the central art-deco foyer of the old tyre factory has been allocated for a brew bar which will draw on the history of the Dunlop site.

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Brewtown is preparing for four new businesses to move in before March.

Space in the food and drink precinct was nearly all spoken for and they would not be making new spaces available in the immediate future, Gorman said.

'We've got to the stage where we're turning people away. We have got a responsibility to support and sustain the brewers that are here.'

Panhead was the first brewery to set up at Brewtown. Pictured are general manager Josh Drake, left, and founder Mike Neilson.

Boneface opened a taproom and restaurant at Brewtown last year. Pictured is Matt Dainty, co-owner and head brewer. Te Aro brewing also moved there in 2017.

The ambition was to further develop Brewtown as a food and drink destination which included plans to run a bus from the Wellington cruise ship terminal to the site.

The three working breweries on-site Panhead, Boneface and Te Aro - two of which had and taprooms serving food and drink - were already attracting large crowds, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights.

Wild Kiwi Distillery director Russell Kirk said Brewtown was an attractive place to set up because of the community of brewers based there.

The distillery would be set up by February and in full production by March. It would be one of the largest in the country producing whisky, bourbon, gin and vodka.

Brewtown is situated within the South Pacific Industrial park owned by developer and realtor Malcolm Gillies who bought the 36,000 square metre site in 2008.

Upper Hutt Mayor Wayne Guppy said Brewtown was 'absolutely humming' and the redevelopment of the entire industrial site had been a success story for Upper Hutt.

The park not only supported the brewers in their own precinct but also a number of workshops.

The Dunlop factory had around 400 people working in it the day it closed in 2006. A similar number of jobs had been created across 35 businesses at the site.