A $30 million state-of-the-art mill that will produce staves for bourbon and wine barrels is planned to start operations at the end of next year in Arkansas.
Independent Stave Company, a manufacturer of high-quality oak barrels and cooperage products and the largest barrel maker in the world, said the new facility will be located near Batesville and will create approximately 60 new jobs.
“This has been an exciting time as we continue to invest in our current and new facilities to support our customers and the growth of the industry,” said Brad Boswell, CEO of Independent Stave Company, in a release from BACC. “This new stave mill will be our seventh domestic mill, and an important addition allowing us to expand our supply of high-quality American white oak.”
Independent Stave Company operates six stave mills and three cooperages — with a fourth cooperage projected to open at the end of 2022 — throughout the United States as well as a mill and cooperages overseas. Established in 1912, the company manufactures staves, barrels, and oak alternatives for customers in 40 countries around the world.
Arkansas has a wealth of natural resources and raw materials necessary to manufacture cooperage products. A stave is a narrow length of wood with a slightly beveled edge used to make the barrels distillers and winemakers use to age wine, bourbon, whiskey, and other spirits. White oak, which is plentiful in Arkansas, is used in barrel staves because white oak has proven to be the best for crafting a liquid-tight container, according to BACC.
For more information, including job opportunities, please visit independentstavecompany.com.
Click here to sign up for The Bourbon Flight Newsletter.
