Follow-Up File: Firestone is distilling future plans

Job: Chief executive officer

Business: Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

What he said then:

In July 2007, The Tribune’s Biz Buzz noted that improvements and a warehouse expansion were approved for the Firestone Walker brewery in Paso Robles.

CEO Adam Firestone said different phases of production were being organized into different buildings. Other upgrades — such as computer controls and piping — improved the brewing process.

The brewery planned to add 22,000 square feet of warehouse to include packaging of beers brewed there. Completion was targeted for summer 2009.

In Paso Robles since 2001, Firestone Walker still had its brewery in Buellton at the time.

What he says now:

The Paso Robles brewery slowly picked up space in a building that formerly occupied several businesses.

Now all Firestone Walker beer is brewed in the local city, its CEO said.

“Doing business in Santa Barbara County is beyond challenging,” Firestone said. “Paso Robles is a lot more friendly and supportive. The more you can consolidate in one location, that makes sense.”

Though water rates have increased considerably in recent years, Firestone praised the responsiveness of city officials.

That can be as simple as picking up the phone to answer questions, but he also said he hasn’t encountered as many hurdles to expansion.

“We’ve slowly been migrating,” the CEO said. “We have most of the positions and 100 percent of production” at the Ramada Drive facility.

The company maintains a taproom and warehouse in Buellton, but at least half of the brewing company’s 125 employees are based in Paso Robles.

Producing about a million cases of beer “plus or minus” each year, Firestone Walker planned further improvements to expand production, but those plans are now on hold.

“We’re going to do some major capacity expansions,” said Firestone. “We had a fairly ambitious plan we presented to the city.”

Describing himself as “cautiously optimistic,” he’s “a little worried about this economy.

“There are plenty of people who went off 90-foot cliffs with 100 feet of rope,” he declared. “I feel like measuring the bungee cord twice.”

The brewery’s store sales have risen slightly in the past year, but restaurant and bar orders are down.

“Restaurants that used to order two kegs a week are down to one or one-and-a-half a week,” Firestone said. “There are fewer people coming through the door. That part of the economy’s getting hammered pretty good.”

Until it can expand, the brewery will continue to focus on promoting its seasonal ales, trying to underestimate demand for each release.

Its latest is Solace, a summertime beer with flavors of citrus and clove.

“The macro view of it is that category’s doing well,” he said. “We’re in real trouble if people can’t afford a $7 six-pack of beer.”

— Raven J. Railey