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By Mike White
White Labs
White Labs continues to grow strongly as the company
and its customers celebrate 10 years of manufacturing brewers yeast and
providing fermentation services.
The last few years have been marked by tremendous
growth not just in the domestic market but also internationally, said
White Labs President Chris White, who recently attended brewing
conferences in Europe and South America.
To celebrate a decade in business, White Labs
introduced WLP010 — a special 10th anniversary blend. Soon after White
Labs started in 1995, the company offered five strains — WLP001, WLP002,
WLP004, WLP300 and WLP810. Staff members created a blend of four of these
strains (the fifth strain, Hefeweizen Ale, was not included because it
does not mix well with other strains) and the result will be available for
a limited time only. Contact your sales representative for more details at
888-5-Yeast-5.
In conjunction with White Labs’ anniversary, AleSmith
Brewing Co. in San Diego is developing a special beer with the blended
strain. AleSmith, which is also celebrating its 10-year anniversary, is
introducing one of its characteristic high-gravity beers using the new
strain.
As White Labs celebrates a decade in business, the
company is maturing. While still operated as a small business, employees
are receiving benefits normally associated with larger companies. The
company offers a 401k plan and heath insurance, among other perks. As a
result, employees are staying longer, creating a more stable environment
for the company and its customers. Customers are most familiar with White
Labs’ sales associates and directors, but some of the longest-time
employees work in production, including supervisor Ricardo Gamboa, who has
been with the company about six years. His wife Ana also is a longtime
employee in the production department. They are two of among about 30
employees.
As it grew, the company managed to work on longterm
projects, such as Yeastman, the computer program developed specifically
for the lab. The program allows workers to track each strain through the
entire production process, improving quality control and production
schedules.
Eventually the system will be available to the sales
staff, allowing them instant access to production timetables. The program
has been in development for three years, and in-house efforts are led by
lab supervisor Neva Parker. (For more on Yeastman click here).
Over the next few years, White Labs plans to move to a
larger production facility; conduct fermentation trials with a new brewing
system being developed by Beer, Beer and More Beer; and provide more services to the
fermentation industry including wine and distilling.
It took tremendous effort to get to this point. During the first few
years the lab had numerous locations, and it took four years before the
company began making a profit. Today White Labs is a leading player in
yeast production and fermentation sciences for American microbreweries and
pubs, and international breweries are expected to be a big part of the lab’s
growth over the next few years. The company looks forward to another
successful decade and longer in business.
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