Tall Timbers Brewing Co tasting sweet success after expansion following $92K in RED grants

A new brewery in the heart of Manjimup is boasting its national success following State Government funding to ramp up production. Tall Timbers Brewing Co in Manjimup was a recipient of the McGowan Government’s Regional Economic Development grants in late 2019 receiving funds to increase the volume of locally produced beer and cider. The $92,714 grant saw the brewery purchase multiple fermentation tanks which offered an additional 23,500 litres of fermentation capacity. After a small pause on the brewery’s development due to shipping and installation complications through the COVID-19 pandemic, Tall Timbers are now being directly sourced to produce for hospitality and retail venues around the state. Previously, Tall Timbers Brewing Co mostly sold its locally brewed beer from its restaurant across the road from the brewery or on a contract basis to hospitality venues in Perth. Now, the four ranges of beer can be purchased at both Dan Murphy’s and BWS branches, as well as metro bars, including Pica Bar in the Perth CBD. Building on the brewery’s success, Tall Timbers plans to release seasonal fruit sour beers alongside cider that will use the pulp of second-grade fruit sourced locally from the South West. Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan and Warren-Blackwood MLA Jane Kelsbie were given a personal brewery tour last week by managing director Ed Fallens, as well as a special tasting of their product. Ms MacTiernan said she was pleased to see how successful the brewery had become following the RED grant and the disruption of the pandemic. “Back in 2019 we made a RED grant available to Tall Timbers to expand their brewing, obviously COVID hit which complicated things but today we have finally been able to come down to look at the completed project,” she said. “What we really focused on here, we looked at people who have the entrepreneurial appeal to set up a business like this group and then provide them the expansions so they can take that business to the next level. “You see an operation like this, it’s become a much bigger operation and I have no doubt now it’s got to that level where it is into the Dan Murphys, the BWS, it will just continue to grow.’’ Ms MacTiernan said supporting projects like the expansion of Tall Timbers was vital to putting regional towns on the map. “Manjimup is increasingly becoming a feature on the culinary tourism market and just generally, it’s a gateway to so many beautiful forests,” she said. “It is growing in popularity and a lot of effort has been put into beautifying the town and add that value which previously we used to see in the costal parts of the South West.” Warren-Blackwood MLA Jane Kelsbie said the funding allowed local businesses and the regional economy to thrive. “The beauty of the RED grants are really enabling businesses to go that next step, to look at innovation and invest which then generates local jobs and adds to the brand to the town,” she said. “Local growers have also benefitted from the expansion, with Tall Timbers creating beverage options that use the pulp of second-grade fruit from across the region.”