A little bit of water, malt, hops and yeast and a whole lot of passion and determination has created a thriving destination business in downtown Ord.
Opening their doors in October of 2013, Scratchtown Brewing Company became the Nebraska Sandhills’ first craft brewery. Starting with an empty corner lot in downtown Ord, their facility was built to serve as their production facility and tap room. Since opening, the Scratchtown team has dedicated themselves to brewing and serving an assortment of premium-quality handcrafted beers.
Caleb Pollard, Chief Mover of Units and Co-Owner of Scratchtown shares, “Our mission and many of our efforts have been focused on three things: making great beer, sharing it with our friends near and far, and doing our best to leave a lasting positive impact in Ord.”
Speaking of making great beer, their production has far exceeded their expectations. Since opening, they have added 300% to their productive capacity and grown their payroll from two to nine employees to keep up with the demand for their product.
Their beer is distributed across the state from McCook to Omaha. Several opportunities have been presented to distribute in ten other states but SBC has chosen to focus on Ord and Nebraska first and foremost but that doesn’t mean they’ll become stagnant. They plan to grow their distribution network over the next five years and are planning a major production expansion in order to accommodate that growth.
Along with the complex and delicious flavors of their beers, the fact they are one of the most decorated Nebraska craft breweries in the state certainly adds incentive for travelers to make Ord a destination. The communal environment that co-owners and operators Mike Klimek, Caleb Pollard, Shay Reilly and Jade Stunkel create in their tap room is another reason why people keep coming back for more.
“We feel our community and the eastern Sandhills region is in a prime location to maximize opportunities created by our beautiful area lakes and rivers. We also greatly enjoy hosting events that celebrate the culture and cuisine of central Nebraska. From Scratchtoberfest to live music to tastings and beer dinners, we will continue to host premium events in our area to celebrate the great things we have out here. Local producers are growing and raising flavors that are unique to our area, and people are willing to travel to taste them. We have much to be grateful for, and the beauty and progressiveness of our community is a big part of that.”
You’ll often find SBC doing business within the community whether it’s sourcing local ingredients for a new brew or planning collaborative events with fellow business owners.
“Local businesses have been an essential part of the success of Scratchtown; without our entire professional services team here in Ord, both our grocers, our local media, local contractors, local suppliers and local ag producers, there literally would not be a Scratchtown. We are grateful to be able to find such great products and services in our community because our success is linked to theirs.”
Connect with Scratchtown Brewing Company on their website or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also find details on the community calendar for their October events including a One-Off Wednesday (October 4), a special Friday Afternoon Club (October 13) with a special promotion for Chamber members and a Beer Dinner with Jubilee Events & Catering (October 25).
