Two local beer and cider brewers team up for new facility in Sunnyland neighborhood
Here’s a roundup of recent retail activity in Whatcom County:
▪ Bellingham Cider Company and North Fork Brewery are working together and will soon have a production facility and tasting room in the Sunnyland Neighborhood.
Bellingham Cider is taking up much of the former Union Foundry building at 1910 Grant St. Co-owner Bryce Hamilton said the expansion is a long-awaited upgrade for the company, which originally planned to do this in early 2020 but had to delay it because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The majority of the building is being remodeled for production but we are leaving space to expand and create a taproom for future use,” Hamilton said in an email, adding that an event space is also being considered.
The plan for Bellingham Cider is to have the production portion ready next month, with the taproom opening later this year. The increased production will allow Bellingham Cider to increase its distribution in Whatcom and the neighboring counties. It will also be a space where customers can see the production more closely as well as try out cider. A small selection of food will also be for sale.
North Fork, which operates its pizzeria and beer shrine on the Mount Baker Highway near Kendall, plans to produce some of its sour beers there and have its own tasting room ready sometime this spring, said owner Jim Green, who also owns Diamond Jim’s breakfast place in the Fountain District. He has no plans to put in a pizzeria in the Bellingham spot, focusing on draft beers, bottles, crowlers and growlers.
The renovations are being designed by Zervas Architect Group and Pearson Construction is in charge of the tenant improvements. Hamilton said they’ve also been working with Sustainable Connections to make it a net-zero, solar-powered space while also preserving the history of the building. The warehouse was home to a company that made metal parts for the marine industry for 112 years.
As for Bellingham Cider’s current facility at 205 Prospect St., it took a winter break during the pandemic case surge, but is planning to reopen on Thursday, Jan. 20. In the coming months it will be rolling out some new menu items and a new event/catering program.
▪ Jalapenos is planning to open its new restaurant near Walmart on Monday, Jan. 31.
The longtime local restaurant company is going into the former El Patron building at 4451 Meridian St. Once open, the new spot will be open for lunch and dinner every day.
Along with the downtown Bellingham, Fairhaven and Barkley Jalapenos restaurants, the company also operates Luna’s Bistro near the Barkley movie theater.
▪ After more than a dozen Bellingham restaurants and cafes shut down earlier this month because of the huge jump in COVID-19 cases as well as frozen pipe issues, nearly all have either reopened or are planning to reopen in the coming days.
Continue to check the social media pages of your favorite businesses to see what rules they have in place and hours. While some are offering dine-in services, many are still in take-out-only mode.
This story was originally published January 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
