5 things to know about Fort Myers Brewing Co.'s 22-acre expansion in Gateway
Fort Myers Brewing Co., Lee County's first craft brewery, is on the verge of a major expansion. Here are five things you need to know about the move.
5 things to know about Fort Myers Brewing Co.'s 22-acre expansion in Gateway Fort Myers Brewing Co., Lee County's first craft brewery, is on the verge of a major expansion. Here are five things you need to know about the move. Check out this story on news-press.com: https://www.news-press.com/story/life/food/2019/07/03/5-things-fort-myers-brewing-co-s-22-acre-gateway-expansion/1614510001/
Annabelle Tometich, Fort Myers News-Press Published 8:00 a.m. ET July 3, 2019
Photos: Fort Myers Brewing Co.'s expansion plans
An artist's rendering of Fort Myers Brewing Co.'s planned expansion in Gateway. The red arrow shows the brewery's current front door. Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.
Fort Myers Brewing Co. hopes to break ground next year on an all-new 9-acre facility adjacent to its current location in Gateway. The new space will be located between the brewery's current spot and Daniels Parkway, on what's currently an undeveloped plot of land. Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.
An artist's rendering of the new Fort Myers Brewing Co. event space in Gateway highlights the new beer hall. Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.
The "grand lawn" is highlighted in an artist's rendering of the new Fort Myers Brewing Co. event space in Gateway. Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.
A parking area for food trucks is highlighted in an artist's rendering of the new Fort Myers Brewing Co. event space in Gateway. Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.
The proposed "tank farm" for housing fermenters and brite tanks is highlighted in an artist's rendering of the new Fort Myers Brewing Co. space in Gateway. Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.
Fort Myers Brewing Co. owners Rob Whyte and Jen Gratz-Whyte continue to grow their facility to accomodate increased traffic. The brewery was the first craft brewery to open in Lee County. Ricardo Rolon / The News-Press
A handful of craft beers from Fort Myers Brewing Co. are displayed along the bar, which is the first craft brewery to open in Lee County. Owners Rob Whyte and Jennifer Whyte, have expanded their facility to accomodate the growth in foot traffic. Ricardo Rolon / The News-Press
Rob Whyte, co-owner of Fort Myers Brewing Company, and his crew took home three gold medals and a silver for their craft beers at the Best Florida Beer Championships in Tampa Sunday. Special to The News-Press
Fort Myers Brewing Co. announced a major expansion plan last week.
Lee County's first craft brewery is set to close on a 22-acre parcel of land adjacent to its current location in Gateway. If all goes as planned, the 6-year-old Fort Myers Brewing could break ground as early as summer 2020 on a 40,000-square-foot facility that will span 9 manicured acres.
Here are five things to know.
1. It's 13 times larger
This new facility would be more than 13 times bigger than Fort Myers Brewing's original 3,000-square-foot space. Actually, if owners Jen Gratz-Whyte and Rob Whyte had had their way, they'd have opened the original brewery with just 1,500 square feet. "The county required a fire-rated wall between manufacturing and the tasting room," Gratz-Whyte said. "We rented a second unit before we opened ... I remember being stressed and worried that we wouldn't be able to grow into all (that space)."
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Fort Myers Brewing Co. owners Rob and Jennifer Whyte, have expanded their facility to accomodate the growth in foot traffic. The brewery was the first craft brewery to open in Lee County. (Photo: Ricardo Rolon / The News-Press)
2. They've been eyeing the land for years
The couple have had their eyes on this parcel since November 2016, when they first had inklings about the brewery's growth potential. The land can be seen from the front door of the brewery's current space. But the property was owned by the Lee County Port Authority as part of Skyplex commerce park. It was only available for lease, which didn't interest the brewers. They asked county commissioners if it would ever be put up for sale. In December 2018, their request became reality. The property went up for public bid that month. Gratz-Whyte, Whyte and their vice president of outside sales, Fred Malone, bid $2.05 million, just above the minimum. In January they learned theirs was the only bid entered. But the purchase was far from set. The Port Authority had to work with the FAA to get approval to sell the land. Last week, county commissioners sealed the deal.
FULL STORY: Fort Myers Brewing Co. details on 40,000-square-foot expansion
An artist's rendering of the new Fort Myers Brewing Co. event space in Gateway highlights the new beer hall. (Photo: Courtesy Fort Myers Brewing Co.)
3. They were never leaving Gateway
Gratz-Whyte said the best part of the new space is that it's right next to their current one. "It was really important to us to stay in Gateway," Gratz-Whyte said. "As people got wind that we were looking at land and larger facilities, there were a lot of opportunities that presented themselves. But we pushed back saying we wanted to stay in our home neighborhood and continue to grow with the community that's been with us since day one."
MORE: Growth is on the menu — Welcome to Gateway, our new dining hot spot
A handful of craft beers from Fort Myers Brewing Co. are displayed along the bar, which is the first craft brewery to open in Lee County. Owners Rob Whyte and Jennifer Whyte, have expanded their facility to accomodate the growth in foot traffic. (Photo: Ricardo Rolon / The News-Press)
4. It's A LOT of brewery
The new facility will have more than 40,000 square feet of structural space across 9 acres of event space on a 22-acre parcel of land. Artist's renderings of the new digs show an expanded beer hall, a massive new manufacturing facility, a curved stretch of road with ample food-truck parking, a "grand lawn" with a stage for live music, and a "tank farm" that will house the brewery's fermenters and brite tanks. To put 40,000 square feet into perspective, that's roughly the size of your average Publix.
MORE: Fort Myers Brewing Co. is a Lee County original — Behind the Brewery
MORE: Cheers! Fort Myers Brewing Co. turns 5, serves 55 beers for five years
5. What's next?
As Gratz-Whyte put it, they are in the "hurry up and wait" phase. Once they've officially closed on the land, they'll have to submit plans, and then wait for development orders, permits and all the many hoops that must be jumped through with a new build. Gratz-Whyte said it could be a year or more just to get development orders in hand. She hesitated when asked about a general time frame for opening the new space. Late 2020? 2021? "A long time from now," she said, "let's just put it that way."
Find Fort Myers Brewing Co. at 12811 Commerce Lakes Drive No. 28 in Gateway. Call 239-313-6576 or visit fmbrew.com for more.
Connect with this reporter: @abellewrites (Instagram)
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