The director of a popular Sunshine Coast brewery says the opening of its new premises will lead to a revitalisation of the area and create a focal point for the community.
Currently based at Sugar Road in Alexandra Headland, 10 Toes is planning to expand into the former North Buderim IGA site, which closed in September last year.
A development application for the expansion has been lodged with Sunshine Coast Council, with public submissions about the proposal open until June 27.
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Director Rupert Hall said the response to 10 Toes’ plans to move into The Hub shopping centre was extremely positive.
“The other businesses around in The Hub have all been completely supportive and I think they really need this sort of thing, just something to be a cornerstone revitalisation point, and I’m really confident that’s what we’re going to bring,” he said.
The Hub co-owner Dale Massie said he and the other businesses were also supportive of the plans.
“Having 10 Toes here has been a blessing for all of the businesses that have maintained their presence through the harder times, between the IGA closing and the eventual (brewery) opening,” he said.
“There’s nothing but support for what Rupert’s doing. Ultimately the support goes two ways – the better they (businesses) do the better it is for Rupert, and vice versa.
“They may have been a little devastated, or concerned, when the IGA did close, but those concerns have been largely eliminated and are looking forward to the opening.”
Mr Massie’s father Ian, who is a co-owner of the shopping centre, has owned the land since 1976 and “built the centre at the bottom of his horse paddock” in 1989.
The plans include 420sqm of public shared space with “groovy, comfy, cosy, mixed seating”, two bars, a full kitchen, upstairs mezzanine and private function room.
Primary production of 10 Toes beverages will be brought to the North Buderim site, but the current Sugar Road facility will remain open.
“We’re going to remodel Sugar Road back to the original-size brewery, a 500-litre brew kit – and that’ll allow for even more diversity of products for people to try,” Mr Hall said.
“As a community space it will stay the same, just a little bit more footprint for the people to sit.
“The two sites will share products between each other, so that core range and wholesale distribution from here, but that real crafty side of things will shared across both venues.”
There are also plans to work with local distilleries and Queensland wineries to showcase their products.
The food – which Mr Hall said he’ll have “some exciting news” on soon – will also have a focus on local produce.
An opening date has not been set but he said it was “not that far from opening” and would be well before Christmas.
Mr Hall said the brewery expansion would also bring employment opportunities.
“We want to support local,” he said. “The locals have supported us getting this far and we want to make sure we’re employing locals who are looking for a career.
“(We need) everything from events management to venue managers, shift supervisors, staff in the kitchens – anyone and everybody who’s really keen to be part of something as it grows into a real destination on the Sunshine Coast.”
Mr Massie said he was excited to have a business with a local focus as an anchor of The Hub.
“The foundational aspects of everything that’s happened here at North Buderim has been for local people,” he said.
“The supermarket that was here, the IGA, served local people, employed local people, used local produce, and the fact that we’ve been lucky enough to end up with an association with another business like 10 Toes that shares a lot of those same values, without having to advertise them, is something that’s really hand in glove from our point of view.
“I grew up on this property, my father’s owned this land for a long, long period of time, and seeing it continue to be a part of the North Buderim and Kuluin community is certainly a legacy that we’re very happy with and how that works out that there is such a need for what it is that Rupert and his business partners produce is terrific.”
Mr Hall praised council for its support in bringing the project to fruition.
“Sunshine Coast Council has been incredibly supportive of this since we first spoke to them back in October last year,” he said.
“They’ve been really helpful and positive … For the past five months, we’ve been pulling together all reports and studies and design work to ensure our impacts are controlled, and council seem to be happy with what we’ve presented.”
Mr Hall also said he was grateful for the community’s support of the brewery over the years.
“I don’t think 10 Toes would be where it is today without the support of the community,” he said.
“We’ve been growing and our little space down on Sugar Road has done amazingly, a great little local hangout, and I’m really proud of what we’ve created there.
“But obviously we’ve been looking for a larger premises. We have a big vision for 10 Toes in the future, and the last three years we’ve been actively looking for somewhere suitable.
“We didn’t want to be another brewery just stuck out on the industrial estate, which is where zoning plans currently put all breweries.
“When this site came up it just ticked every box: commercially, for the industrial side; proximity to residential; street exposure.
“It’s going to allow us to create a really community-friendly space, somewhere you can come meet up with the people in your neighbourhood.”
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