Genesee Brewery’s $50 million investment enables the construction of a new, “state-of-the-art” packaging factory

Rochester, New York – A major boost is coming for a Rochester mainstay.

The oldest brewery in the state of New York is the Genesee Brewery, which opened its doors in 1878. It’s also of the nation’s oldest breweries that has been in continuous operation. For this reason, state officials are keeping up their investment in the institution.

On Monday, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed plans to modernize the brewery with a $50 million investment. The funds will be utilized to build a top-notch packaging factory in Rochester.

The capacity of the brewery will also be increased by the installation of new tanks and machinery.

It will be the first plant in the country to create the Labatt Blue and Labatt Blue Light beer brands, which will be added to the company’s Canadian production and shipped beer. The renovation, according to representatives, will keep the brewery competitive.

“The packaging side of the business is the side that most consumers interact with, so it’s very important for us to have state-of-the art capabilities so we can do all sorts of packaging configurations that most consumers will see in the grocery stores,” said Mary Beth Popp, the vice president of communications at FIFCO USA.

Over the following two years, the initiative is anticipated to retain more than 500 workers in the city while adding more than 50 new employees.