Rossland Beer Company outlines its expansion plans

The Rossland Beer Company is working on an expansion project.

It comes after city council recently approved an application to let the business expand its seating capacity from 44 to 69.

Co-owner Petri Raito said numerous things are being worked on.

“We’re adding a washroom, so we’ll have three washrooms in total in the brewery,” said Raito. “We’re creating a new sitting area so people can play live music for customers on Fridays. It will also add a few more spots and let people spread out a little more.”

The company is purchasing three additional parking stalls at a cost of $3,000 each. In total, Raito said the project will take about two weeks and cost between $20,000 and $25,000.

Raito said the expansion will help ease traffic at the brewery.

“Our No. 1 problem is people wanting to get into the facility. Often, we would have a line-up of people outside,” said Raito. “Now, people will be able to get in easier, which will prevent people from hanging outside the facility and making noise.”

While Raito said he’s heard some public concern around parking with the expansion, the majority of his customers walk, bike or take an e-bike to the brewery.

Rosslanders are the reason for the business’s success, according to Raito.

“We’ve grown from a seating capacity of 14 to 69 over the years and we’re really proud of where we’ve gotten,” said Raito.

“The community support for us has always been through the roof. We have the best little town and we wouldn’t have been able to do this without everyone.”

With the expansion, the business will be undergoing a building inspection in the next couple weeks.

One more staff member will also be hired at the brewery after COVID-19 safety protocols ease and when operations return to normal.

To mitigate the risk of COVID-19, Raito said only between 10 to 14 dine-in customers are currently allowed at the brewery.

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