San Diego's nearly 3-year-old Harland Brewing Company will soon open its fourth tasting room, this time with an onsite eatery, taking over the space that has housed Grants Coffee Room & Market in South Park for almost two decades.
Josh Landan co-founded Saint Archer Brewery in 2013 and exited the company in February 2017, a year and a half after selling the business to MillerCoors. Landan tested his hand in the non-alcoholic food and beverage sector with the launch of Villager Goods, a line of food, beverage and clothing products backed by many of the same action sports partners who helped to fund and market Saint Archer.
In late 2018, Landan launched three new businesses with the help of former Saint Archer VP Jeff Hansson and ex-market manager Anthony Levas. Held under the parent company, Ocotillo Holdings LLC, which raised nearly $4 million in funding, the companies include Scout Distribution (a craft-focused beer and wine wholesaler), wine label Claxton Cellars, and Harland Brewing Co.. Previous pro skateboarder and custom motorcycle designer, Max Schaaf, and former Stone Brewing Distribution Director of Key Accounts Lisa Govenar are among Harland’s nearly 50 investors. Landan also has ownership interests in Ashland Hard Seltzer, which bases its brewing operations out of Mission Brewery in San Diego's East Village. Harland executives state that Landan has not been part of the company for more than 18 months, although he is still the only person listed on the liquor licenses for the One Paseo and Bay Park tasting rooms.
Harland Brewing Co. currently does the majority of its brewing from a 37,000 square-foot production facility at 10119 Carroll Canyon Road in Mira Mesa. The company also operates a 3,709 square-foot tasting room within a standalone building inside One Paseo mixed-used development in Del Mar and a 2,750 square-foot tasting room in the building that last previously housed a Benchmark Brewing tasting room in Bay Park.
The incoming tasting room in South Park will open in the 2,400 square-foot, 1920-era building that has housed Grants Market and Coffee Room since 2002. The space will offer multiple taps pouring Harland's signature brews and special releases, as well as house an onsite merchandise market where beer and other swag will be available for take away. The tasting room also be Harland's first to house an onsite kitchen, offering a menu of American tavern fare.
Harland Brewing's new tasting room aims to open by year's end at 2953 Beech Street in San Diego's South Park/Golden Hill community. For more information, visit harlandbeer.com.
