Closures and restrictions due to COVID-19 had a devastating impact on Oregon’s breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Governor Kate Brown announced the elimination of many statewide restrictions, which greatly harmed the hospitality sector, as Oregon nears the 70% COVID-19 vaccination rate.
“Closures and restrictions due to COVID-19 had a devastating impact on Oregon’s breweries, wineries, cideries, distilleries, restaurants, bars and hospitality sector. Thousands of jobs were lost and many more would have been if lawmakers had raised taxes on these local businesses,” said the Oregon Beverage Alliance. “With business models flipped upside down, it will take years for Oregon’s breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries to recover economically. These are the places where you celebrate your 21st birthday, meet coworkers for happy hour or mark your anniversary. With restrictions lifted, please help support your favorite breweries, wineries, cideries, distilleries, restaurants and bars, which are an essential part of Oregon culture and identity, and start making memories again.”
For more than a year, brewpubs, tasting rooms, restaurants, bars and stadiums have either been completely closed or operating at limited capacity, greatly diminishing revenue and resulting in lost jobs.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oregon was home to 400 breweries, 900 wineries, 1,200 vineyards, 70 cideries, 65 distilleries, 73 distributors and 10,000 restaurants, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs and several billion dollars in wages. Many of those jobs are now at risk or have been lost.
According to economic reports, Oregon has lost more than 10,000 wine related jobs and 3,000 beer related jobs since the pandemic. And the hospitality sector as a whole lost 50,000 jobs. It will take years for local businesses to recover.
###
About the Oregon Beverage Alliance
The Oregon Beverage Alliance is made up of local brewers, winemakers, cidermakers, distillers and their supply and hospitality partners creating hundreds of thousands of jobs. Learn more: www.DontTaxMyDrink.org
Recent Comments