The $95 million project was to employ 108 people in its first phase.
But Deschutes saw a single-digit dip in overall sales for the first time last year, so CEO Michael LaLonde has, understandably, gotten cold feet.
In considering market conditions, LaLonde said, “Deschutes must act with adjustments of our own with regard to the scale and timing of our investments.”
That doesn’t mean the brewery won’t be built someday. It’s going to write a check for $3.2 million to buy the land the brewery was to sit on. Buying the land means it won’t have to fulfill requirements for to invest at least $55 million and hire at least 70 full-time workers. “We just needed that flexibility,” LaLonde explained.