The Southern Brewing Company broke ground on the property located at 231 Collins Industrial Boulevard off US Highway 29 near Athens Tech on August 1.  The brewery plans to be operational in May 2015 and eventually grow to employ approximately 30 people.  The brewery has plans for brewery tours and tastings, a music venue, a farmer’s market, an artist market, bike trails, a yeast lab, an art camp, and more.  

Southern Brewing Company is owned by Brian Roth and Rick Goddard, who have extensive backgrounds in brewing, legislation, and management. The owners originally had plans to locate the brewery in a neighboring community. 

“After a meeting with the Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department, we were convinced that Athens was the right place to be,” says Roth. “The coordination with the Planning Department demonstrated to us that the local community was supportive of our plans to grow. Athens is a very beer-friendly town and that has helped a lot. This is a town that hopes to attract more breweries.”

“We are excited to see Southern Brewing Company creating jobs and investing in Athens-Clarke County,” says Economic Development Department Director Ryan Moore. “It further evidences the success of our burgeoning brewing industry and sets us apart as the desired destination for brewing operations in the Southeast. We look forward to many years of success from our newest corporate citizen.”

Back in 1993, Normaltown had no idea what was brewing in their backyard when Brian Roth connected with Kenny Havener.  Roth had a love for craft beer and sought guidance from Havener’s experience and equipment.  Unbeknownst to Roth, who just brewed because he loved it, it was the first chapter in the story of the development of The Southern Brewing Company.  

Roth graduated from the University of Georgia with a BFA in sculpture in 1994.  In 1992, Roth began an internship with Leon Farmer and Company, a local family owned beer distributor, as a sign painter. While there, he met co-worker Kenny Havener.  He learned the logistics of buying and selling beer, and developed a passion for craft beer.  Roth set out on a path to learn anything and everything he could about the craft and the business.  

For eight years, Roth hosted gatherings of engineers, professional brewers, retailers, co-workers, artists, scientists, and fellow home brewers at his pilot brewery, Gratis Brewing.  The evenings were opportunities for collaboration and artistry.  They built recipes from scratch using an artistic approach to flavor, aroma, and color.  He also visited breweries all over the world – over 450 according to Roth – and dove into the camaraderie that exists in this unique industry.  He asked questions but, most importantly, he listened.  Listened to their regrets, their hindsight, and their advice.

It was during a legislative conference between influential trade organizations and lawmakers that Roth met Rick Goddard.  Goddard was the chief lobbyist for the American beer industry for the Beer Institute.  Goddard with his vast and deep understanding of the brewing industry, as well as his strong management and operational and logistical planning skills, partnered perfectly with Roth’s long established working knowledge of the distribution system, technical expertise, and passion for brewing. And thus The Southern Brewing Company was born.

Once the decision was made that this dream was going to become reality, the pair set out to find a home for their brewery.  Roth recalls, “The worst part of this process is feeling like you’re over your head.  There are so many moving parts and so many questions that you’re not going to know the answer to.  It’s separating your ego from that that makes it a tough experience.” From site selection to the mountain of paperwork to the anxiety of the unknown, the admitted experience was far from a fairy tale story, but it does have a happy ending. 

Roth and Goddard used the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a program through the University of Georgia that provides low cost training and free consulting services for small businesses. The SBDC helped them create a business plan, as well as helped them through the early stages of funding and financial planning. 

The Economic Development and Planning Departments were able to further help by expediting the Southern Brewing Company’s plans review process. “We completed permitting two weeks before we closed our Small Business Administration loan and that was awesome,” says Roth. “Athens-Clarke County was very helpful with the entire process.”

With inquisitive minds at the helm, there is no limit to where The Southern Brewing Company can go.