PRESS RELEASES:
2007- New Joint Venture, Coastal Brewing Co., To Purchase Old Dominion
HISTORY:
In
1703, Queen Anne of England (1702-14), among other royal duties, was
going about the task of colonizing the New World. In order for a territory
in the New World to be considered a colony, certain businesses and industries
were required to sustain the colony’s growth and development.
One of those new industries had to be a brewery.
Young Benjamin Fordham was chosen by the Queen to establish his brewing
trade in the city of Annapolis, in the colony to be called Maryland.
This early venture in Colonial brewing helped establish Annapolis as
the provincial capital for the British Colonies. As his brewing venture
flourished, he became one of the Port of Annapolis’ more influential
citizens. Not only did he slake the thirst of the burgeoning colony
with his excellent ales, he also represented the constituency as a city
Alderman. And yet today, his descendents still reside in Annapolis.
On June 11th, 1995, the Fordham Brewing Company was re-born in the city
of Annapolis. A state-of-the-art Bavarian brewery was established on
the premises of the Rams Head Tavern. The brewery logo was drawn directly
from the Fordham family coat of arms and then stylized to combine the
nautical influence with rope and the brewer’s grain-barley. The
colorful Fordham peacock- signifying vitality- represents a proud and
distinct character, exemplifying our commitment to quality for the Fordham
family of fine lagers, ales and stouts.
As the popularity of the Fordham brand skyrocketed, it became necessary
to consider alternate brewing sites to keep up with demand. In 2000,
a full-scale manufacturing operation was begun in Alexandria, Virginia.
From this facility, Fordham could supply the enthusiastic demand for
its beers at pubs, taverns, restaurants, hotels and retail outlets throughout
the Mid-Atlantic region. Meanwhile, the brewery in Annapolis continued
to brew its traditional line of six brands, not counting its
seasonal selections, for the Rams Head Tavern.
After an unprecedented 54% growth in 2002 and an anticipated 25% growth
in 2003, Fordham Brewing Company found it necessary to move towards
a permanent site for the brewing division, Southern Beverages.
Fordham and Southern Beverages secured a 15,000 square foot free-standing
structure located in downtown Dover, Delaware in late spring of 2003.
Hoping to step out of the “dark ages” of hand-bottling and
packaging, Fordham Brewing has also purchased a fully-automated bottling
line to complement the new brewing equipment. That equipment,
purchased from Butterfield Brewing Company in Fresno, California is
a state-of-the-art 50 barrel JV northwest system with the annual capacity
of 15,000 barrels. This move has positioned Fordham for
additional growth and opportunities well into the future.
Thanks
to all of our loyal Fordham enthusiasts, we look forward to out-growing
our current capacity in the near future...bringing our beer closer to
you!
Fordham Brewing Company
A Taste of History
