North Fresno’s Sequoia Brewing Company celebrated its grand reopening with a ribbon cutting packed with community members and local dignitaries Friday, Oct. 10.
The reopening at 1188 E. Champlain Drive, Suite 107, was made possible by a group of investors who refused to let the community landmark stay shut after it closed in February.
When Scott Miller, president and CEO of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce, heard of the closure, he worked to reopen it with a team of partners including Will Oliver, Joseph Doerr, Bill Avakian, and Ian Wieland. They formed Second Growth Brewing LLC to bring the business back to life.
“We have been very lucky to be able to get the people that you all recognize to come back and do this work with us,” Miller said, asking the crowd to give a round of applause to returning staffers. “They are the ones here every day making sure that it is the old Sequoia – the quality you expect.”
While customers can enjoy familiar favorites from the menu, they will also be able to try new items including a pale ale, a lager, and two West Coast IPAs.
Fresno City Council Member Nick Richardson, representing District 6, recalled spending many days campaigning and then winding up at Sequoia Brewing Company. While the food and drinks were great, it was the other customers who kept him coming back, he said. “They made this a community. They made this a home.”
“I thank you for bringing back such an important part of this community, and I’m really, really enthusiastically looking forward to all the next adventures that are going to take place in this building behind me,” he said.
Rep. Jim Costa praised the owners for reviving the business. “For all the reasons suggested by the risk-takers, these folks that are friends of ours, that have Fresno and our Valley’s interest and economy at heart, this is a good day.”
He presented them with a congressional certificate. “This recognition is to the Sequoia Brewing Company on this day to congratulate them on never saying never and always willing to invest in our community, and you invest in so many different ways. So thank you.”
Other local dignitaries’ offices were represented, including state Sen. Shannon Grove, state Assemblymember David Tangipa, and Fresno City Council Member Nelson Esparza.
To end the speeches, Costa summed up the sentiment of the day as the crowd cheered and applauded: “Sequoia Brewing Company – we love it! We love you!”
For more updates on Fresno County development and business initiatives, stay connected with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.
