from the Columbia Economic Development newsletter:
Hunter-Gatherer will open its second location in November at the historic Curtiss-Wright Hangar in Owens Field. The 13,000 sq. ft. brewery will soon be open to the public and feature an event space, tap room, and observation deck. The food menu will include a ppetizers, salads and thin crust pizzas that will be made in three minutes by a unique, high heat oven.
Kevin Varner is the owner and operator, and opened the original Hunter-Gatherer location in 1995 at 900 Main Street. “I think that the City of Columbia has been characterized as being a hard place to open and operate a business in the past”, said Varner. “I do not think that is true today. City of Columbia employees have gone out of their way to help me throughout this project.”
According to a study by the National Brewers Association, South Carolina’s 40 craft breweries and brew pubs bring $443 million annually into the state’s economy and has created 3,000 jobs in South Carolina.