NEW ORLEANS — It was built in New Orleans East with the hope of creating jobs and returning large scale beer production to the city.
Faubourg Brewing Company is now expected to shut down most of its beer-making operations at the Jourdan Road complex.
Some employees reported to the sprawling facility for work on Monday only to learn they would soon be out of a job.
“They let me know that production is going to cease, and the plant will close in December and was given a little severance package and sent home,” brewer Spencer Boudreaux said.
About a year ago, Saints owner Gayle Benson sold a majority interest in the former Dixie Beer to Alabama-based brewer Made by the Water.
MBTW CEO Alexi Sekmakas said in a statement the company “…has reached a point where the brewing facility in New Orleans East cannot meet the current demands of our family of breweries.”
He went on to say, “…we are shifting most of our brewing operations to other MBTW facilities and contract brewing partners while we explore options for a new manufacturing home in the area.”
Boudreaux is extremely disappointed.
“I really enjoyed my job there,” he said. “We had an incredible crew. I made some amazing friends, some killer people in this industry who make great beer who cared about the product only to be let down.”
Benson spokesman Greg Bensel said, while Made by the Water now controls the company, “…it remains a major priority of Mrs. Benson to continue to build on economic development especially in New Orleans East - while trying to build a manufacturing facility from the ground up- we have encountered issues like any business and each step of the way we were met with the full support of Mayor Cantrell and her office as well as our councilman Oliver Thomas.”
Thomas told WWL-TV, he had no notice of layoffs or shutdowns at Faubourg.
He was told the brewery was exceeding distribution and demand, but wanted a better deal when it comes to the cost of municipal water.
“They did say though, that there has to be and there is ongoing negotiations about the cost of water for the brewery component of the business,” Thomas said. “So, we want to fix all of that. We want every bit of that business to stay here.”
According to Made by the Water the Faubourg taproom and event spaces are expected to remain open and the company’s corporate headquarters will remain in New Orleans East.
Sekmakas did clarify Faubourg Brewing will continue to brew a wide range of small batch products for guests to enjoy as well as the familiar favorite Faubourg product lineup including Lager, Dat'Suma, and Velvet Voodoo.
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