Milford's CraftRoots Brewery To Be Sold, Founder To Stay Brewing

MILFORD, MA — The ownership of Milford's CraftRoots Brewing — the only craft beer maker in town — is changing, but many aspects of the brewery will likely remain familiar.

CraftRoots founder Maureen Fabry has entered into an agreement to sell the Industrial Road brewery to a trio of new owners: Michael Laird and Matthew Kelly, both Franklin residents, and Hugh Leahy of Bellingham.

Fabry will remain as the brewer at CraftRoots under the new ownership, and the business will remain at 4 Industrial Road. Maureen and Robin Fabry cofounded the brewery in 2014 in Milford — the first woman-owned brick-and-mortar brewery in Massachusetts.

The new owners, who formed the company CraftRoots Inc., are in the process of securing a farmer-brewery permit from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, and went before the Milford Select Board Monday to secure a local license to pour beer. CraftRoots operates under a farmer-brewery license currently, and the new owners seeking the brewery will continue to serve beer made with a portion of local ingredients, and will still be able to provide samples and "squealer" and growler fills to-go.

"[T]he overall brewery mission will be expanding to be far more community-invested," Fabry said of the new ownership.