BEETS TO BOOZE

In the early 1900s, when Glendale was a blink-and-you-miss-it temperance colony, it sought prosperity from the unlikeliest of sources: the humble beet. Sugar beets were the computer software of the era, and Glendale strove to be the Silicon Valley of root vegetables with its new Beet Sugar Factory. The beet was even the center of the city’s official seal for decades.  

Unfortunately, beets went bust. Production began in 1906 but halted after a month. Each season brought hopes of success, but lack of water and financial disputes made the factory more of a burden than a business.

From 1916 to 1930, the building stood lifeless. In 1935, Philip Ringer purchased the factory and leased it out to various companies, including Squirt Bottling Co. and Marusho Soy Sauce Co. In 1979, The Beet Sugar Factory was added to the The National Register of Historic Places, preventing its destruction.

Then, in 2009, AZ Wine Co. owner Ray Klemp purchased the property to help his daughters, Lauren Klemp, 26, and Morgan Klemp, 24, expand their Valley distillery, Forward Brands. Their goal is to open the building, which has been closed since 1986, by early 2012. Ironically, the property that once was the heart of a temperance colony will comprise a distillery and tasting room featuring local vodka, tequila, rum and more.

“The Beet Factory is special to us as it is one of the few historic factories in Phoenix,” Lauren Klemp says. “We’re excited to see it back in action.”