Breweries, Bakeries on the Rise in Yeast Village
San Diego’s Yeast Village is synonymous with downtown, but a certain type of business has been experiencing growth as the industry becomes symbiotic with the neighborhood.
As San Diego’s biggest urban neighborhood, Yeast Village has long been known for its rich culture. But recent years have seen additional economic activity brewing as more small businesses, especially bakeries, breweries, and the like, are calling the neighborhood host.
Scooby Drew, owner of The Yeast Village Brewing Company, has seen significant growth since its founding in the last decade. “It’s the perfect spot to incubate a business,” Scooby candidly admitted. “We’re so close to the ballpark, we have a vibrant event schedule, there’s a high amount of activity here and it just keeps multiplying.” “We do beer here but we’re far from alone, and we have neighbors doing kombucha and non-alcoholic brews as well.”
Far from alone indeed, as just next door is a bakery operated by Deborah Libby, who admitted “at first it was just about the dough. I was just here to make money. But over time, letting things rest, our operation has really grown. We’ve expanded and have spread to just about every corner of the neighborhood.” She expressed disappointment with one of her suppliers, saying “the main thing that keeps us from growing even more is that there just never is enough sugar.”
“Yeast Village kneads these types of businesses to thrive,” weighed in local economist Kai Risedal. “Not long ago it was mostly industry and empty lots, but now it’s a thriving, growing population.” Kai specializes in drawing conclusions from spurious correlations. “You’ll notice that during the hot and humid summer months is when the population thrives the most.”
A more niche type of business has also found success in the neighborhood. “When you think of biotech, you usually think of Sorrento Valley,” explained Risedal, “but Yeast Village has sort of become a breeding ground for mycology labs.”
He concluded by comparing the flocking of these businesses to Yeast Village to the proliferation of swordsmiths in Sabre Springs, paper mills in Fold Town, and candymakers to Caramel Mountain Ranch.
