D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., Pottsville, Pa., signed a letter of intent to purchase Memphis-based Hardy Bottling Co.’s facility, news sources report. Acquisition of the Memphis plant would expand Yuengling’s reach beyond its East Coast operations, where it is distributed in 13 states, and would be the fourth plant for the company.

Hardy Bottling Co., a beverage contract manufacturer, operates out of a former Molson Coors Brewing Co. brewery facility in Memphis. The facility was purchased in 2006 and is 1.3 million square feet and located on 26 acres with 15 rail lines, Carolyn Hardy, owner of Hardy Bottling Co., told Beverage Industry as part of an upcoming article.

The company currently produces a range of non-alcohol products for contract clients, but has worked this year to return to the brewing industry, Hardy said. Based on fermentation time, Hardy Bottling Co.’s brewery would have a 4 million to 7 million barrel capacity, Hardy said. As a contract packager, Hardy Bottling can run in excess of 80 million of cases non-alcohol beverages a year, she said.