About Us
HISTORY
The building we call home is an incredible space. Located in what used to be the boiler room for Northern Pump Company, our space has stories to be told about it and made within her walls.
The Northern Pump Company manufactured water pumps for fire fighting from 1929 to 1941, until the United States was forced to enter WWII. Within months of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the facility was able to shift operations entirely and the first navy ship gun left the facility. The facility grew and became known as one of the most Efficient and Excellent manufacturers through the war. The Star Tribune once described the facility as a “production miracle” for what the men and women in the facility were doing.
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In fact, the E painted on our north stack is an award given by the military for “Excellence in Production”. If a facility was able to maintain its excellence in production for 6 months, it received an accompanying star to go with it.
TRULY A FORGOTTEN STAR
Those who visit our taproom will see our north stack proudly displays six stars and the E, meaning this facility was awarded seven times for Excellence in Production during World War II.
What’s even more amazing, is that of the 86,000 facilities manufacturing items for the war effort, only 4,200 received the E, and only eight facilities received six or more stars, this being 1 of 2 left standing!
We embrace the challenge to maintain this tradition of excellence in production that thousands of Minnesotans worked so hard for.
