CAMDEN — A year out of college, Camden native Roland Matthews, 33, was curious about a family friend who opened a brewery in Little Rock, Arkansas.
It was 2015 and breweries were booming, with the nation’s total topping 4,000 for the first time in more than 140 years, according to industry experts.
“Anytime he would come home over Christmas to see his family — he’s probably 15 years my senior — I would just always pick his brain, ask him how he did it,” Matthews said.
After about three years back in his hometown, following college football coaching stints at Methodist University and Presbyterian College, he’s set to open the city’s first brewery this weekend. Matthews, who also runs a Sub Station II franchise downtown, will open the brewery with business partner Ross Hough, a fellow Camden native and former Amazon worker.
A grand opening for Greener Pastures Brewing Co. is planned for Sept. 27 at its location at 826 Broad St. in downtown Camden.
Although the craft beer boom has cooled since the mid-2010s, Matthews believes Camden is ready for a brewery years later. He pointed to Camden’s growth, with census estimates showing a 2023-24 gain that ranked tenth-fastest in the state.
“There are people everywhere,” Matthews said at the future brewery as his partner installed security cameras. “Right now, I’m sitting out on my front patio and there are cars flying by, somebody just passes on a bicycle. We’ve got people walking down the road.”
Greener Pastures bills itself as a family- and pet-friendly beer garden with outdoor space between its taproom and brewing area. It will offer 14 taps, including IPAs, sour beers, light lagers and stouts. In addition to beer, the brewery will dedicate taps to gluten-free cider and prosecco and also serve house-made seltzers.
For Matthews, food is essential to a successful modern craft brewery. The brewery will serve Neapolitan-style pizza as its signature food, baked in a brick oven in view of customers. It will also offer sandwiches, salads and appetizers.
“We want this to be a place that anybody can come to, even if you don’t like beer, even if you don’t like pizza, we want to have something for you,” Matthews said, “so that if you got a big group coming everybody in the group can find something that they like.”
Initially slated for summer, the brewery’s opening was held up by utility connection delays, Matthews said. The brewery will open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.