Live Oak Bank is expanding its canopy once again.

Wilmington’s only home-grown bank is branching out into the wine and craft beverage industry, company officials said Thursday.

They said the bank has opened a new office in Santa Rosa, California, which is located in the heart of the Napa-Sonoma wine country north of San Francisco.

“After extensive industry research, Live Oak assembled a team of lenders and industry experts to address the need for financing to wineries, vineyards, breweries, distilleries and ancillary businesses in this space,” a news release stated. “Live Oak can provide funding for acquisitions, successions, partner buy-ins/outs, expansions, operating capital, refinances, loan payoffs and real estate.”

Live Oak’s core business is providing SBA-guaranteed loans to professionals and companies in specific industries. Wine and craft beverage lending joins the bank’s other niche lending markets: veterinarians, independent pharmacies, financial advisors, dentists and certain health care practices, funeral homes, poultry growers and family entertainment centers.

“The Wine and Craft Beverages industry is in growth mode, and we’re excited to enable that growth through financing,” Kay Anderson, the bank’s general manager of emerging markets, said in the release. “We will focus on strategic partnerships within the industry and the knowledge of our senior lending team to quickly gain momentum.”

Jeff Clark serves as the domain expert for the wine and craft beverages segment at Live Oak, Anderson said in an interview Thursday afternoon. Clark, a veteran banker in California's North Bay area, is also managing the new office, which is staffed with two additional loan officers, according to an article in the North Bay Business Journal.

The Santa Rosa office is one of several administrative locations Live Oak maintains across the country, Anderson said Thursday. The largest of these offices is in Atlanta.

Live Oak's only branch office, along with its headquarters, is in Wilmington.

“I’m thrilled Live Oak is stepping into this space. Having been in the industry for over 20 years, I’ve seen the growth in the demand for lending,” Clark said in the bank's release. “Live Oak’s loan structure, cash flow credit orientation, speed and service differentiate us from other lenders in the space, and position us to meet that demand.”

Live Oak’s new Santa Rosa administrative office is housed in a temporary location and will move to a permanent office in late spring, according to the North Bay Business Journal.