By Andie Scibetta, news correspondent
Four young entrepreneurs are looking to open a contract-brewing facility in the Bowdoin-Geneva area of Dorchester. Felipe Oliveira, Todd Charbonneau, Holly Irgens and Travis Lee are working together to try to get the Dorchester Brewing Company (DBC) up and running by the summer of 2015. According to the company’s website, the brewery will be the first contract-brewing facility in Mass. The brewery plans to brew and package beer as well as do tastings and retail in-house.
The Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood may not seem like the best place to open a new business at first glance. According to the 2000 census, the area has a 20 percent poverty rate, which exceeds the national average, and low high school graduation rates. However, Bowdoin-Geneva certainly does not lack a sense of community, boasting a rich culture and diverse population.
The co-founders of the brewery hope that it will benefit the neighborhood.
“Breweries really do breathe new life into areas,” Irgens, the team’s marketing specialist, said. Irgens cites the Harpoon and Sam Adams breweries in Boston as examples that have brought more business to their respective areas.
Two of the cofounders of the Dorchester Brewing Company have particularly close ties to the Bowdoin-Geneva area.
“Felipe Olivera, one of the cofounders, he lives down the street, and he wanted to bring it back to Dorchester, since it’s where his original beer brand is from,” Irgens said. “The other co-founder, Travis Lee, also lives in Dorchester and his idea is to really revitalize areas on the economic front. He really wanted to bring more foot traffic to other restaurants.”
Irgens says the brewery would appeal to college students over the age of 21, especially with free beer tastings.
“We’re going to have kind of like a front room where people can taste the beer and do tours to see exactly where it’s brewed,” Irgens said. “If someone were to come in, they would be able to taste all of the beers we create in our building.”
The brewery will have special tasting nights to promote particular brands of beer, according to Irgens.
Dorchester resident Alicia Jennings, an employee of the Walgreens on Bowdoin Avenue, described the neighborhood as lively and friendly.
“A lot of customers come here all the time, and a lot of them are always happy,” Jennings said.
Jennings is among the Dorchester residents who are excited about the brewery’s opening.
“I do think it’s a good idea, just because it hasn’t been done before in this area,” Jennings said. “A lot of people in the neighborhood haven’t had the chance to experience something like that.”
Other residents, however, are skeptical. Rhonda Sandy, who lives in Dorchester’s Codman Square, expresses that demographics of the neighborhood might prove a problem for the brewery.
“I don’t think it would make it in this area,” Sandy said. “If you look at the mix in the area, it’s a lot of Cape Verdeans and people from the West Indies, and they tend to drink more hard liquor.”
The DBC is still raising money and looking for a place to build their brewery. Its owners expect a grand opening this summer.
“Right now, it’s definitely in the planning stages,” Irgens said. “We’re in the process of negotiating both the lease of the building as well as going through all of the fundraising and investment opportunities. It’s still in the initial stages.”
Photo courtesy Creative Commons
