Dubbo's first craft brewery, the Devil's Hollow Tavern and Brewery, has hit the market with owners making the "difficult decision" to move on after three years in business.
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"We've really enjoyed creating, owning and operating Devil's Hollow. It was our dream to bring something new and exciting to Dubbo and we're really proud to have done that but it's probably time we move in different directions," said Melissa Knaggs, one member of the consortium who own and operate the hospitality destination.
"I'm excited to see where it goes to with someone different"
Melissa and husband Paul - co-developers of Blueridge Business Park and co-owners of construction company Blueridge Projects - decided it was time to move on from their stake in the business as it was outside of their core business of civil and industrial development.
"We're really busy and our other businesses are growing and we're heavily involved in them all - it's just a timing thing for us. There aren't enough hours in the day for us to continue at this pace," said Ms Knaggs.
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Launched in July 2019 by Melissa and Paul and longtime friends and includes a family-friendly tavern and a brewery headed by Matt Devenish creating craft beers with a local twist like 'Dub Vegas Mid Strength' and 'Sandy Beach Belgian Blonde'.
"We really wanted our brand to reflect the greatness of Dubbo and our love for this country town - we're Dubbo people who love Dubbo and want to see it grow," said Ms Knaggs.
Starting a business during a plague and pandemic was never going to be an easy feat for the Devil's Hollow team, but they said the support of the community has seen the brewery become a well-regarded local establishment.
"It was quite a new concept when we first thought of it and we had a lot of mixed comments from people. We definitely took a risk - throw in a mouse plague, a drought and two bouts of COVID - you couldn't have had a more difficult time," she said.
"But through the support of the community we've managed to keep our head above water and continue operating. We're very proud of what it's become so selling isn't an easy decision - it still has a lot of potential and Dubbo's community is embracing it."
The 740m2 venue, which sits on a 2,260m2 lot with 25 off-street car parks, is being offered for sale by Expression of Interest, closing 12pm Thursday, 1 September.
"The economic prosperity of the Dubbo region over the last 5 years has seen a strong increase in the demand for, and success of, high-quality food and beverage offerings such as Devil's Hollow," said Blake Edwards, director of HTL Property, the agency responsible for the sale.
