It’s no secret that the craft-beer landscape is in flux on a national level. That much is evidenced by the number of changes occurring within San Diego County’s brewery ranks alone. But the shifts in the brewing industry also affect businesses which supply ingredients and services to local beermakers. Such organizations have also spent the past several years pivoting and adjusting to the new normal, transforming themselves so they can endure forthcoming challenges and be positioned for long-term success. Count Miramar-based yeast supplier White Labs as part of that faction.
Established in 1995 by owner Dr. Chris White, the company was a forerunner in provision of yeast utilized for the production of alcoholic beverages. White Labs’ quality yeast and wide-ranging analytic laboratory services allowed the company to grow into a 13,000-square-foot base of operations on Candida Street in the brewery-stocked Miramar community. That headquarters features lab space, refrigerated storage, offices, a classroom and even a kitchen-equipped taproom serving beers produced care of an on-site brewery.
In 2017, the company opened a second location in Asheville, North Carolina. Over the past few years, that East Coast facility has taken on the majority of the business’ yeast production and brewing. White Labs owns its Miramar headquarters and has accomplished a great deal there, but recently management decided it would be most prudent to sell the building and downsize its West Coast operations by moving administrative personnel and laboratory operations elsewhere.
“We had been hopeful that we would find a good use for the San Diego facility without the operational component, but because Asheville still has considerable potential for additional manufacturing capacity as-is, we decided it made more sense to downsize the operation here and focus our efforts on efficiency on the East Coast,” says White Labs President Neva Parker, who is locally based and has worked for the company for 23 years. “Not much will change for our customers. We will still have will-call yeast for pick-up, customer service and analytical lab services, just in a new home.“
For Parker and her management colleagues, that new home will be Home Brew Mart, where they plan to set up offices in the business’ mezzanine space. A Morena District fixture since 1992, that combination retail outlet and nanobrewery famously birthed Ballast Point Brewing (which sold Home Brew Mart to the store’s former manager Jim Johnson in 2024), one of White Labs’ very first customers. Parker says that history makes her excited to go back to “where it all began.” Meanwhile, the company is considering several future locations in Kearny Mesa and Miramar to house its analytical lab.
When looking back on decades spent at its Miramar space, Parker says some of her fondest memories include hosting a huge party for Homebrew Con in 2011, the genomics work they did with Illumina cataloging 96 strains of White Labs yeast, installing their in-house brewery, and canning house beers for the very first time in 2020.
The Miramar location is in escrow (despite never having been listed), and its brewery, cellar, taproom and kitchen equipment are currently available via an auction being conducted by Beverage Equipment Traders. White Labs has not yet made its move to Home Brew Mart. Customers will be notified directly when that transition takes place so there will be no disruptions where yeast pick-ups are concerned.
“For us, the biggest thing about this move is that we’re not leaving San Diego. It’s really important to us to always have a presence here,” says Parker. “We want to contribute to and help the local beer community, and will still have yeast, lab services, customer support and even White Labs beers brewed in collaboration with Home Brew Mart.”
White Labs’ Miramar tasting room is currently open. Its last day of operation will be Saturday, September 26. Parker says there will be a big send-off event that day, which they will share via the company’s Instagram account.
White Labs is located at 9495 Candida Street in Miramar, and Home Brew Mart is located at 5401 Linda Vista Road in the Morena District