Thread by @GreaterOhio

Last month, we highlighted @JohnstownOhio as part of our #OHCommunitySpotlight series, which gave us an opportunity to talk about their Medical Cannabis Program as an economic development strategy. You can find a link to that #GOPCThread here:

https://twitter.com/GreaterOhio/status/1428386413049962504

.@JohnstownOhio has bet big on medical marijuana as part of a forward-looking strategy to grow their economy and increase jobs. This week on the #GOPCThread, we’ll take a look at another unconventional economic driver: craft beer

The explosion of craft brewing is a recent phenomenon. In 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated there were only 396 brewery establishments nationwide, but the industry grew sevenfold, with 2,843 breweries registered in 2016 #GOPCThread bls.gov/spotlight/2017…

.@BrewersAssoc estimates that there were only 45 craft breweries in #Ohio in 2011. Now, there are 366 craft breweries operating, with 47 breweries opening last year and 73 more in planning #GOPCThread

Ohio ranks no. 5 in craft beer production nationwide (and no. 11 in craft beer consumption 😉) #GOPCThread

According to @BrewersAssoc, small and independent craft brewers contributed $62.1 billion to the US economy in 2020, including a $2.5 billion output in #Ohio alone #GOPCThread
brewersassociation.org/statistics-and…

Craft breweries produce & serve craft beer, their businesses employ several people, breweries purchase materials like grains & bottles from other businesses, all creating ripple effects amplifying the economic impact of a brewery in a community (via @OhioCraftBeer) #GOPCThread

In an economic impact study completed by @OhioCraftBeer, craft breweries supported $880.7 million of economic activity in 2020, resulting in a total of 8,295 jobs and sustaining 5,577 households #GOPCThread
ohiocraftbeer.org/wp-content/upl…

The craft beer impact extends beyond the breweries themselves. Ohio farmers are increasingly growing barley & hops for beer. #GOPCThread
ohgg.org/growers-map

Entities like @originmalt, which supply malted barley to breweries, have ambitious plans that will help increase the acreage of beer-related crops, again making direct contributions to Ohio’s economy. #GOPCThread
bizjournals.com/columbus/news/…

And Ohio legacy cities with excess clean water, like Dayton, have been pitching their water as an economic development resource, ideal for water-intensive industries, like brewing and distilling. #GOPCThread
marketplace.org/2014/08/11/wat…

What was once old is new again: before Prohibition, Ohioans got their beer at local breweries. Ohio’s legacy cities & towns were built by European immigrants who worked hard & often came from regions with deep traditions in brewing #GOPCThread
clevelandmemory.org/breweries/

Like the 19th & 20th C breweries, today’s craft breweries often catalyze development in the neighborhoods around them while creating community gathering spaces, generating economic impact every sip of the way #GOPCThread

Take @brewfontaine, voted the no. 1 beer bar in Ohio. Brewfontaine opened in 2015 when owners renovated a vacant restaurant in historic downtown Bellefontaine, OH (pop. 13,000) in order to have craft beer accessible to residents #GOPCThread
smallnationstrong.com/case_study/bre…

Or @BrewingPhoenix in #Mansfield, which opened in 2014 in a restored former funeral and mortuary home #GOPCThread phoenixbrewing.com/history

Breweries contribute locally by hosting community nights, concerts, and other place-making activities. Check out @alematicbrewing in Huber Heights, @esotericbeer in Cincinnati, or @crafttheculture in Central Ohio, all of which are #BlackOwnedBusiness

With more communities adding place-based entertainment like #DORA ordinances, craft brewing’s impact on local economies is well-positioned to continue growing. Find out more about DORAs on the GOPC blog #GOPCThread
greaterohio.org/blog/2021/3/18…

Now that you know about all of the great impacts of craft beer and small/independent breweries, enjoy a guilt-free happy hour and comment below with your favorite local spot #GOPCThread