Back in November we described a little bit about our brewing equipment and where it was coming from. Today’s post dives deeper into the global economics that are involved in building a brewery.
I’ll be the first to admit that when we set out to start MCBC, I didn’t fully understand how many people and organizations it actually took to acquire brewing equipment and have it shipped to our facility. Being a part of that planning process has really been eye opening. Not just in thinking about our equipment’s transit but also just how any product gets into the United States and onto a stores shelf; really gives you an appreciation for the world economy and the shipping and transportation realm that stays so very hidden from everyday life.
Our equipment began it’s journey in Slovenia, a small country nestled between the eastern boarder of Italy and southern boarder of Austria. While the brewhouse is designed and engineered by an Italian company, their manufacturing facility is located in Slovenia because the labor force is more cost effective.
Once the manufacturer had completed the equipment, they loaded 4 containers bound for Nolensville onto a ship, much like this one.
After making several stops to fill the ship up throughout the ports of Europe, it began its trek across the Atlantic. As you can see it’s a 15 hour plane trip. Boats travel a bit slower and stop at ports all along the coast of the U.S. thus extending the trip quite a bit.
30 days later the containers finally arrived at port in Savannah, GA, one of the largest ports in the United States. Can you spot our containers?
All but 1 container made it through customs without a hitch. The lone red flag was because the container had dirt on the outside. The USDA pulled it aside to inspect the dirt and oversee its removal, making sure it did not contain anything that could infiltrate our agriculture or food supply.
Next the containers were taken by train where they arrived at the local rail yard in Nashville, TN.
Finally, they were hauled by truck to our facility in Nolensville. Our extended crew got busy unloading the equipment and getting it set in place and pieced together. We’re getting closer each to day to firing it up and cranking out some beer. Can’t wait!
Continue to check back here on the website or on our social media pages for updates. We’ll be releasing new beers any day now and we can’t wait to share them with you!
Cheers!
