Panacea Brewing Co. at 4107 Oleander Drive has welcomed kombucha lovers, vegans and those looking to try something unique through its doors for two years and is now ready to offer more to the community with its latest expansion.
 
Starting in January, Panacea’s new 1,600-square-foot multipurpose space will be available for booking events. Construction is near completion and will be open in the new year for restaurant overflow, private parties, corporate bookings and more.
 
“We needed to expand because we wanted more room for the community,” said co-owner Robin Hill. “The dining room gets kind of crowded, and although the weather is beautiful here it’s not always perfect for outdoor dining. We wanted to create a space that felt more community-based for events, classes, parties, that sort of thing.”
 
Robin Hill and her husband, Art, recently took over the neighboring unit in front of their current establishment with a front-facing entrance to Oleander Drive. The spaces are connected by a garage door to allow for privacy during events or to open for overflow on busy days.
 
In addition to the regular menu, Panacea will offer a catering menu, with three different tiers of pricing. The event space will seat roughly 40-50 customers at a time and is also wired for business events with an A/V system and projection screen available for use.
 
Robin Hill said the new space is funky just like they are. Artist Erica Nelson of Modern Mural, who painted the murals inside the original building, has added some unique art on the other side.
 
“We have one mural featuring beautiful mushrooms, and the other one is a funky interesting look at Panacea, where we come from and where we’re dreaming about going,” she said.
 
And they continue to dream big.
 
In January 2021, Panacea began brewing its own beer, in addition to its alcoholic and non-alcoholic kombucha.
 
“We’re working really hard on the expansion of our brewery right now,” Robin Hill said. “We opened the restaurant in January 2020, and the pandemic hit so it took 100% of our focus to keep the restaurant opened and staff it and keep that cash flow positive, just so that we didn’t fold up. We were able to successfully do that and still grow at the same time, which is awesome.”
 
The new focus is on canning their products – both regular and alcoholic kombucha, with new product lines rolling in shortly after. Robin Hill said they bought a canning line from Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems and are excited for future announcements to follow.
 
“I think plant-based food is on the rise, kombucha is doing well in the marketplace and craft beer is always popular,” she said. “We’ve got some exciting growth coming.”
 
Panacea’s kitchen and taproom are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.