KNYSNA NEWS - For those thirsty Knysnarians who have been lamenting the closure of Mitchell's Tap Room in New Street there is good news: it is not the end of an era.
It is rather the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Mitchell's, whose owners have promised to come back bigger and better than ever before.
This week, operations manager Frikkie Burger shed some light on what the company's shareholders envision for the future of the first craft beer producer in SA.
He said Mitchell's plans to by December open brand new premises featuring a taproom and a refined restaurant. In the meantime, it will be hosting "pop-up" music events at various venues.
The beginning of an era
The iconic brewery was started in 1983 by Lex Mitchell in the Knysna Industrial Area and over the years that followed the brewery changed ownership at least three more times before being acquired by shareholders Schalk Burger, Louis Kruger, Gys Steyn and Hein Swart in 2011.
In 2013 they opened a second brewery in Knysna town with the vision of producing double the volume to satisfy the demand for their product and introduced tastings and tours of the New Street brewery and added a taproom.
This quickly became an institution for tourists exploring Knysna and locals alike. But business went down in the tough economy and Burger said it made business sense to move the brewery to Cape Town and the company signed a deal with Signal Hill Products to brew the Mitchell's beer.
'We did this for brand survival'
"We did this for brand survival, it was sort of a natural progression in the industry, and it also made the Mitchell's product more affordable and accessible," he said, adding that they kept the taproom open and continued to host comedy and music shows as in the past.
But, Burger said, it was time for a revamp as shareholders wanted to create a historical room for the pride of Knysna.
"So we closed the taproom in New Street as it wasn't the shareholders' vision for the Mitchell's brand," he said.
Burger confirmed that they are currently in negotiations with owners of two premises in Knysna, and once secured, they will apply to move their liquor licence – which takes about five to eight months to be finalised.
'Cosy beer garden' in the making
"We are planning a cosy beer garden with an upper-class setting, taproom and restaurant. It will incorporate all the elements of what Mitchell's is supposed to be," Burger continued. "I get asked two questions: will we continue our burger specials and will we continue our amazing music shows.
"The answers are simple – we'll do better burger specials and we'll do better music shows."
He said it has been a "fun struggle" to make Mitchell's work in an environment that is always changing.
More details on the reopening will be made available closer to the time.
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