Teal background image.

ESD Announces Other Half Brewing Will Open Location in Ontario County

Brooklyn-Based Brewery Buys Former Nedloh Brewing Company Facility in Village of East Bloomfield

State Support for Successful Brewery Complements “Finger Lakes Forward” – The Region’s Comprehensive Strategy to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced that Brooklyn based Other Half Brewing, has secured a location in the Village of East Bloomfield, Ontario County where it will open a second craft beer production facility and tasting room. The owners of the successful craft brewery enterprise have purchased the former Nedloh Brewing Company on State Route 5 & 20 which closed in 2017. The project will include some renovation of the 3,500 square-foot building that was originally built just four years ago. Other Half Brewing expects to hire up to 35 employees at the location over the next five years. To encourage Other Half Brewing to expand its incredibly successful operation in the Finger Lakes region, Empire State Development has offered up to $400,000 in performance-based Excelsior Tax Credits, which are directly tied to job creation commitments. The company is investing more than $1.8 million in the project. Other Half Brewing expects to be open in their Finger Lakes location in the next few months.

Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky said, “Since he first took office, Governor Cuomo has made rolling back burdensome regulations for New York's craft beverage industry a top priority. The expansion of Other Half Brewing in the Finger Lakes region is a great example of how these efforts are paying off and contributing to a booming industry that's creating jobs and spurring tourism statewide.”

Founded in 2014, Other Half Brewing’s products have grown in popularity across the northeast and New York State especially in the Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo areas. At its mobile can release events, which are held periodically in different cities, craft brew lovers wait hours in line to purchase Other Half product offerings.

Other Half Brewing Co-Founder Andrew Burman said, “We are extremely excited about our upstate expansion. With the help of the Governor Cuomo and the Excelsior Program, we will be able to brew our beers in East Bloomfield NY. We are ecstatic to be able to support a section of the state that has been so amazingly supportive of us. Rochester and the surrounding cities have an energy about craft beer that is contagious. We can't wait to see what the future holds."

Working with industry leaders to streamline the approval process and reform outdated regulations, Governor Cuomo has helped spur the revival of craft beer manufacturing in New York. The Governor’s reforms have led to over a 300 percent increase in the number of breweries since the Governor's first Wine, Beer and Spirits Summit in 2012, growing from 103 in 2012 to 415 today. This includes 11 large breweries, 45 restaurant breweries, 152 farm breweries, 145 microbreweries, and 62 breweries that hold both farm and micro brewing licenses.

Ontario County Board of Supervisors Chairman and Victor Town Supervisor Jack Marren said, “I applaud the efforts of Empire State Development in encouraging Other Hall Brewing to open in Ontario County.  Not only will this brewery bring jobs to the county but will occupy a building that has been vacant for over a year while providing another venue for craft beverage lovers to sample and purchase locally made products.”

For more about Other Half Brewing, click here.

Accelerating Finger Lakes Forward 

Today’s announcement complements “Finger Lakes Forward,” the region’s comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State has already invested more than $5.2 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan – investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture‎ and food production, and advanced manufacturing. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Rochester, Batavia and Canandaigua as a destination to grow and invest in.

Now, the region is accelerating Finger Lakes Forward with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State’s $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion – and the region’s plan, as submitted, projects up to 8,200 new jobs. More information is available here.

 

 

Contact:

Shari Voorhees-Vincent | [email protected] | (585) 399-7055

Press Office | [email protected] | (800) 260-7313