Dorchester Brewing Co. founder Travis Lee has faced setbacks finding a location for his forthcoming beer-making company, but this week brought a big win. The Zoning Board of Appeal approved plans allowing the company to open a 25,000-square-foot facility at 1250 Mass Ave. near the South Bay shopping center (the former site of sheet metal contractor M.A. Peacard Co.)
Plans include a large tasting room for the general public and a three-story silo made of shiny stainless steel.
After a proposal fell through for another site in the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood, Dorchester Brewing Co. bought the new building for $3 million and will rent space inside to aspiring microbrewers who want help packaging and distributing their product.
Advertisement
Lee said he has raised about $2.3 million to buy brewery equipment and begin renovations. Five unnamed investors have pooled $1 million toward the effort and the business has also borrowed $1 million through the U.S. Small Business Administration and $300,000 through city and state loan programs.
The startup has also hired a new chief executive, Matt Malloy, a former Zipcar marketing executive. Felipe E. Oliveira , the owner of Percival Beer Co. and maker of Dot Ale has left the management team.
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at megan.woolhouse@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @megwoolhouse.