A highly regarded brewing couple are bubbling with joy about a move to Eden.
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Fiona Myers and Gavin Swalwell will open the doors to Snug Cove Brewing as part of the revitalised Australasia build being carried out by Neil Rankin.
The couple have been running the Rutherglen Brewery and Ripe at Buller Wines in Victoria for nearly a decade, but met Neil over their past few holiday visits to the area.
"We just fell in love with Eden while holidaying over the last three years," Ms Myers said.
"We were very lucky to meet him, it was like destiny, we met Jenny Robb at Sprout and she spoke to Biggsy [Neil] and introduced us."
Snug Cove Brewing will include a restaurant featuring local produce, sustainably sourced and cooked by chef of 30 years, Mr Swalwell, who is classically French-trained has worked in some of the best restaurants in Melbourne and regional Victoria.
"The food is not going to be a fine dining experience, it will be approachable with a local focus," Mr Swalwell said.
En route from Germany via sea is a specialised brewing system for the new set-up, a Braumeister, which will be the first of its kind in Australia of its size, boasting 1000-litre capacity, capable of brewing 25 50-litre barrels in one session.
Mr Swalwell said down the track there may be plans for a distillery as well.
"We're jumping out of our skin to get up there, we are super excited," he said.
The couple say they will be able to meet the needs of the town plus the influx of any cruise ships which may visit in the future.
"If we work towards getting the infrastructure set up now, we will be ready go, logistically it's slowly coming together," Mr Swalwell said.
Ms Myers said the couple are pretty well known and respected in Victoria and there will probably be a few a tears when they relocate to Eden later in the year.
"We bought a couple of blocks of land and are trying to organise a builder now," she said.
The couple will visit Eden in early February and anyone interested in having preliminary discussions with them about joining their team as the new business gets off the ground can contact them on 0424533804 or 0400832061.
Neil Rankin aims to open the doors of the iconic hotel to the public by the end of 2021.
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Leah Szanto
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
