Maffco Brewery: Farmer and teacher turn century-old dairy into brewery

An East Gippsland beef farmer and a local teacher have transformed an old dairy and grain store into a watering hole for the ages.

An old-fashioned country handshake deal, a couple of passionate locals and a host of community spirit has transformed an original but dilapidated century-old dairy, and former grain and saddlery store, at Maffra into a thriving brewery and restaurant.

Maffra locals, beef farmer and stock agent Nicky Reeves, and Maffra Secondary College teacher Lashay Tricker, approached the owners of the building, Robert and Brenda Thompson, to pitch their restoration idea and the sale deal was quickly struck.

The old Maffra dairy before it was repurposed into the Maffco Brewery.

“The Thompsons had developers offer to buy it and knock it down so they could sell the bricks, because there is about $2 million worth of bricks among it but to Robert and Brenda’s credit, they said no,” Nicky said.

“They are good country people and were inspired to restore it for the community as there isn’t a lot of historic buildings left in Maffra.”

The community pulled together to help with the $1.2 million restoration.

Nicky and Lashay jumped in boots and all, local tradesman pitched in and community members helped out at working bees to clean and recycle as much material as possible from the original buildings.

Maffco Brewery at Maffra – built from restoring and repurposing the old Maffra dairy.

“All the tradespeople that we got together to help us were local – it was a huge job – but we got it over the line in record time, less than seven months,” Nicky said.

“Everyone has a bit of ownership over it.

“The old-timers drop in with photos and say my parents or grandparents worked here and it’s just great.

“It sets the scene for that community connection.”

They have tried to keep the original story of the factory through salvaged materials, including an old cheese press transformed into a stunning pendant light that shines upwards towards the old gantry where the big pulleys and wheels used to hang.

“We cleaned and reused about 8000 bricks, there were old timber sheds that weren’t sound, so we made the bar and furniture out of them, the old tin from the roof we’ve built the boundary fence out of,” Nicky said.

“To think that 102 years ago someone would have milled that timber locally and now we get the pleasure to repurpose it again.

“It all tells the story of the era and craftsmanship that was there – it is so strong.”

Maffco Brewery officially opened last November and includes a distillery for gin, vodka and rum, as well as a function space and restaurant for 50 people, which features locally sourced produce, including beef from their own farm.

Maffco Brewery is open Wednesday to Sunday.

Another East Gippsland watering hole is on the market, with Wy Yung Pub near Bairnsdale listed for sale. Expressions of interest to buy the pub close on April 6 with Bairnsdale’s King & Heath First National handling the sale.

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