Celebrating National Manufacturing Month in Ravenswood

We sat down with co-owner Hagen Dost in Dovetail’s Barrel Loft to talk more about the biggest challenges, successes, and takeaways of the past decade. When asked to expand on how brewing is a form of modern, urban manufacturing, Hagen puts it succinctly: “We buy raw materials and convert them into a finished product.”  

For the unconvinced, we recommend one of Dovetail’s lauded brewery tours. Just beyond the taproom, one finds a production floor not unlike the kind you would expect to find in a “traditional” factory; the brewing process is carried out by experts with scientific precision. Hagen – a former engineer – puts it best, remarking that the brewery itself is a machine made of smaller machines. “We picked this building to make the kind of beer we want to make.” Dovetail has always been driven by purpose, something Hagen identifies as one of the business’ biggest drivers of success.  

Dovetail’s purpose goes beyond producing quality beer. From the beginning, Hagen and his team have seen the value in community involvement, industry leadership, and advocacy. Together with their neighbors at Begyle Brewing, Dovetail hosts two annual festivals that serve as critical fundraisers for The Friendship Center – a local food pantry based in Lincoln Square. This fall, donations at their Oktoberfestiversary event will help the breweries reach a total of over 4.5 million meals since their collaboration began roughly a decade ago. Among many other community connections, Dovetail is also a frequent supporter for the Pink Boots Society, an organization that supports women and non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry.

Collaborations like these are what we love about Dovetail. They are rooted in their community, they take care of their neighbors and employees, and they take pride in the product they manufacture. The beer is pretty tasty, too.

JARC, founded in 1985 as an offshoot of the famous Jane Addams Hull House, is one of the hardest-working, highest-impact nonprofits you may never have heard of. JARC’s first training center is still here in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor, but their operations have grown into the Austin neighborhood in the past decade with the addition of a new training center and a tenancy in the multi-use ASPIRE Center, which offers multiple services to community members in need. In just the past few years, JARC has opened training centers in Rhode Island and Baltimore, with an eye on establishing more outposts in America’s underserved industrial hubs.  

For over 40 years, JARC has provided the hands-on training, career coaching, and supportive services to help low-income individuals from all walks of life gain the skills needed for a career in manufacturing and skilled trades. Think of it as a full-service ecosystem: in addition to offering no-cost Welding and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Training Programs to eligible applicants, JARC also offers an Adult Learners Program and one-on-one tutoring, dedicated training on soft skills like job readiness, and financial assistance to trainees in need. Mari shares an anecdote about a trainee who paused her participation in the program to give birth – JARC stepped in to provide financial assistance for childcare support. In another instance, JARC helped an underemployed trainee pay rent during their time in the program.  

JARC is constantly evolving to keep up with the evolving industrial landscape. Similarly, JARC’s community is evolving: Mari reports that young adults and women are joining the program at higher rates than ever before. It makes sense: at a time when the traditional job market is unwelcoming, and low-income jobseekers struggle to make ends meet, there’s never been a better time to consider a career in manufacturing/skilled trades, which offer stability, solid starting wages, and ample opportunities for growth.  

Whether you’re just getting started in your career or looking to make a switch, applying to JARC’s training program could be the first step in the journey of a lifetime. They’ll be with you every step of the way.

Jenny Yang became a customer of Phoenix Bean when its factory was just two blocks from her home. After five years of buying its tofu, she learned the owner planned to retire, in part because of the challenges of running the business. Yang asked, “So where am I going to get the good tofu?” As she recalls, the owner replied, “You can do it.” And she thought, “Why not?” She purchased the company in 2006, when it had six employees and about $500,000 in sales. Today, Phoenix Bean employs 38 people and generates about $5 million in sales.

The process remains remarkably hands-on. On a typical day, Yang and her team use about 4,000 pounds of dry soybeans, soaking, grinding and cooking them before pressing the soy milk into tofu. Phoenix Bean is also among the few Illinois businesses using food-grade, non-GMO soybeans sourced directly from regional farms. In 2022, Phoenix Bean moved much of its operation into a new, custom-built factory next door to its original Edgewater location, increasing production capacity roughly fivefold. 

Phoenix Bean is now looking toward another expansion. Yang was recently awarded a Pre-Development Grant through her Community Development Grant application for a proposed Phoenix Bean Marketplace & Food Manufacturing Center at 5535 N. Wolcott Ave. in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor. The project would consolidate three existing sites into one modern production campus focused on manufacturing, education and community connection. It represents another step in the evolution of a company that has helped bring Illinois-grown soybeans to tables and food businesses across the region while preserving a distinctly Chicago-made tradition. Yang was also recently celebrated at the 2026 Manufacturing Excellence Awards in recognition of her leadership and contributions to manufacturing.