Tumut River Brewing Co to shut doors, but Kingston venue poised to remain open

After just over a decade of bringing craft beers, gourmet meals and live music to a small Riverina town, Tumut River Brewing Co (TRBC) has announced it will close on 22 September.

The silver lining is that its Kington venue, which opened in April 2024, looks certain to be taken over and continue trading.

“My one saving grace for Kingston is that all the assets in that place are owned by the landlord and we are just leasing it, so there’s no reason to sell anything there,” co-founder Tim Martin told Region.

“I’m hoping that our business will be sold and the buyer will take on both the Tumut and Kingston venues, but I’ve had a conversation with staff members in Kingston and there are a couple of them who are keen to step up and continue trading as a new company.

“We will see in the coming weeks if Tumut will be sold, but I think Kingston will continue no matter what because of the amazing staff there.”

Founded as a tourism initiative in 2013, “the southern hemisphere’s smallest microbrewery” in Tumut steadily grew in size and reputation for its first six years. But a summer of bushfires, then COVID-19, floods and the drawn-out 18-month construction of a roundabout that closed the main road to access the brewery put the brakes on business.

“It’s really been death by a thousand cuts … if any one of those things didn’t happen we’d probably be okay, but it was so hard as they happened one after each other,” Mr Martin said.

“The roundabout works closed both of our driveways … it was a measurable impact, it cost us almost a million dollars. It got to the point that Google maps updated their routes through Tumut [to bypass the brewery].”

Mr Martin appealed to government to be compensated for lost business due to the roundabout construction, but his calls fell on deaf ears.

“[MPs] Joe McGirr and Kristy McBain tried to help us and I appreciated that but in the end there was no real result. It seemed to me that the powers that be above them and the government department just ignored us knowing that we’d eventually disappear. In the end nothing happened.

“When you owe money to the government the tax office is quick to come after you, but they’re not so quick when they owe you.”

Mr Martin said it had been a difficult time but he appreciated the support and understanding he’d received from suppliers and customers.

“I know a lot of people like suppliers have lost a lot of money … it all flows uphill, they’ve carried so many breweries, I am thankful at how courteous they’ve been as I know they are hurting so much too,” he said.

“To all of our patrons looking to help, the best thing you can do is to come into the venue over the next week. This will allow us to clear some debt and shift perishable goods rather than waste them. Our menu might shrink as we won’t be re-ordering stock during this time. Should we not be able to provide you with a suitable meal, we will help you get something else local to eat while you drink our beer.”

Mr Martin said he’d never known a time when things had been so tough in hospitality.

“I haven’t met a person [in hospitality] who has a positive thing to say about their position. Nobody is having a good time.”

He said if there’s one thing that could help the sector, it would be lower interest rates.

“I’m super proud of the fact that we’ve built an amazing culture, team and a brand recognizable across multiple states. I love the people, the product and the friends I’ve made within the industry. I regret more than you know its closure and especially the fact that some people may suffer as a result,” he said.

“I had not hoped to be doing this forever but especially at 45, it’s hard to believe that 18 years have passed since I started this journey, planning a brewery with my mate in my shed. I know that while this business failed, it was not from a lack of work or effort. I’m very grateful to the TRBC team for their committed and hard work, they really care about this place and that makes it all the harder now.”