North Carolina’s oldest microbrewery, which first opened its doors 35 years ago on the Outer Banks, will have new owners to start 2022.
Weeping Radish founder Uli Benniwitz says the brewery and butchery on U.S. 158 in Grandy will be sold to SAGA Realty and Construction, a real estate development company that also has a variety of business ventures on the Outer Banks.
“For over three decades we have pushed the envelope on what was possible for a small business,” Benniwitz said in a post Sunday on Facebook.
“From changing the law allowing brew pubs in North Carolina, building the first brewery and butchery, using exclusively sustainable local pork in our restaurant, to growing barely for our beer on our own farm, this has been a dynamic chapter in our lives that we will look back on with great pride,” Benniwitz said.
The brewery was founded in Manteo next to The Island Gallery and Christmas Shop in 1986. But the much-loved Manteo location was just too small and ground was broken in 2001 for The Weeping Radish Farm Brewery on the Currituck mainland.
Despite the best efforts of over a dozen regulatory agencies, a restaurant, butcher’s facility and farm as well as a larger brewery were constructed and the first batch of beer was brewed four years later in Grandy, according to the Weeping Radish website.
“Sumit Gupta and his team at SAGA will lead the Weeping Radish into its exciting new future,” Benniwitz said. “We are thrilled to see how they build on the pioneering legacy of the Weeping Radish and take it to new levels.”
SAGA Realty and Construction, which many know as the builder and developer of luxury beach houses and real estate developments along the Outer Banks, has been expanding into other business ventures such as restaurants in recent years.
A representative with SAGA had not responded to a email request for comment as of Monday evening. Exact details of the transaction were also not immediately available.
As of Monday, property records still show Currituck Eco Brewery LLC as the owner of the 7.5 acre plot where the brewery and restaurant are located and a 17.75 acre parcel immediately behind it.
Benniwitz said he and Eileen will continue to operate the Weeping Radish through the rest of the year.
“After January 1st, the Weeping Radish will close for remodeling so the countdown is on to get your Christmas beer and gifts this season,” Benniwitz sald.
“And finally, an enormous thank you to our loyal customers and staff over the years. Thank you for this incredible journey,” Benniwitz said.
