The Martin City Brewing Company’s home-grown beers will soon be available in bars, restaurants, and retailers all around the Kansas City metro! The Brewing Company has announced the start of distribution in mid-November through Central States Beverage, who will distribute kegs throughout the Kansas City metro, extending as far out as Lawrence. At least 50 restaurants are already on board.
“We are starting distribution in phases to make sure quality is maintained and demands can be met,” says Matt Moore, Founder, and Co-Owner of the Brewery. “The plan is to start distributing kegs by mid-November and start packaging big bottles for distribution sometime in the spring of 2015.”
The Brewery has also partnered with Benettis Coffee Experience in Raytown, Mo to start distribution of a coffee stout. They’ve been serving the coffee stout on tap for about a month now at the Brewery and it has grown to be so popular that they plan to include it in their distribution.
The Martin City Brewing Company has already been making a splash in the Kansas City dining scene since they first opened their doors in 2011. The company’s Pizza + Tap Room across the street, also the home of the microbrews, was opened in 2013 and is serving up fresh Neapolitan-Style pizza baked in a real stone oven. The microbrewery has a 15 barrel brewing system with fermentation capacity of up to 60 barrels. Their most popular beer has been the Belgian Abbey or Belgian Blonde – their flagship brew. The Brewery is also available for private events and can host up to 150 people in their event space.
Moore’s grandfather once owned and operated a pub in the same 100-year-old building that the Martin City Brewing Company now occupies. Moore eventually purchased the building with best friend and partner, Chance Adams, with the intention of converting it back into a small town bar and café, and possibly one day, brewing their own beer. They were “hobby” home brewers when they purchased the property with dreams of not only brewing but distributing MCBC signature craft beer all over the KC metro. They are finally seeing that dream turn into a reality this month.
Moore was recognized as a Cornerstone nominee in 2014 by the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City Missouri and continually supports community efforts to buy local. The businesses in Martin City are excited by the Brewery’s growth and congratulate Matt and Chance on the start of distribution. “This is a new chapter in the life of their business and we are inspired by their tenacity,” said the Executive Director of the Martin City CID. “We also want to thank Central States Beverage for working hard to support the Brewery’s efforts in getting the distribution side of their business up and running.”
Distributors like Central States provide the infrastructure small brewers need to reach a wide network of retailers. Consumers benefit by having the choice between the largest international brands and the smallest local brews, all on the same store shelf, restaurant menu and bar tap. That is exactly what the Martin City Brewery needs in order to expand their brand.
While there is still plenty of work to be done before the first kegs are released for distribution, the vision has been made into a reality, and we know none of this would be happening without two friends who were so passionate about brewing and selling great beer that they ignored all the doubts and plunged headfirst into a very competitive industry. They are living proof that opportunities still exist for breweries who can make a consistent, differentiated product, particularly at the local/neighborhood level.
Thank you to all the customers who have walked through the Martin City Brewing Company’s doors and continue to come back for more. We can only imagine what the demand will look like next year when their beer is on tap at every restaurant in town!
Cheers!
