Catawba Brewing’s Morganton facility to close, production moving to New Orleans

MORGANTON, N.C. — Catawba Brewing Company in Morganton is shutting down as its owner makes plans to move production to New Orleans, Nola.com reports.

Last year, Made By The Water purchased the company from the Pyatt family. According to a news release, Made by the Water merged with Faubourg Brewing in September, which is based in New Orleans.

CEO Alexi Sekmakas told Nola.com the decision to shut down the main production facility in Morganton was made because demand for Catawba’s brands, including its top-selling White Zombie White Ale, had outgrown its capacity.

Last week, Channel 9 learned that full-time employees had received layoff notices.

According to Nola.com, production staff have now been told they will be paid through Nov. 4 on the condition they stay around to dismantle the brewing equipment.

Bar staff were told the site will be closed down, but they’re uncertain about whether it can be reopened at a new location.

The president and CEO of the Burke County Chamber of Commerce, Tonia Stephenson, told Nola.com, “It is going to be a great loss for the heart of Morganton and Burke County. It is so much more than a brewery. It’s a meeting place, where food trucks come from all over. You see families there with their dogs on trivia night or for music events. It really is a piece of our heart in Morganton.”

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