It wasn’t all that long ago that Dayne Bartscht bought a farm in Ann Arbor with the idea that he and his friends would put a nanobrewery in the horse barn.

How things have changed. In June, Bartscht, along with Devin Drowley and Paul Hoskin, bought a 1929 former meatpacking plant at 2515 Riopelle St. in Eastern Market in Detroit to open Eastern Market Brewing Co.

The owners have day jobs. Bartscht is a strategy manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in Detroit. Drowley is an engineering manager at a medical device company and Hoskin is a self-employed entrepreneur. In their spare time, they are overseeing the repurposing of a 5,200-square-foot industrial building with the goal of opening in the spring. They hope to add a kitchen next summer.

“At the end of the day, we want to be a brewery,” Bartscht said. “We will open with just beer and people can bring food in.”

The owners said what is taking time is obtaining federal, state and city permits, particularly a Michigan brewery license.

EMBC had somewhat of a debut during the Detroit Design Festival’s recent Eastern Market After Dark event. They were giving out free samples and swag and ran out of both, Bartscht said, adding that the event was a successful marketing effort. They plan to participate in the Detroit Fall Beer Festival Oct. 21-22 in Eastern Market to again promote their product.

Meanwhile, the about-face the EMBC founders made going from 5 Mile Brewing Co. on a farm in Ann Arbor to a plant in Detroit came about as they observed the city’s resurgence and wanted to be part of it. They especially liked the Eastern Market location and its strong community.

“We saw this building and, on the side, was a (faded) phone number” to call to lease or buy, Bartscht said. They learned another group was doing due diligence to buy the building to open a wine bar and shop. But the owners alerted them when that deal fell through.

They bought the building from brothers John and Chuck Boudia. So far, the project has been a $1 million investment. The founders are sharing overseeing the demolition of the plant’s interior. What used to be six rooms on the main floor is now one large room. The main floor near the entrance, which used to be the office for S&D Packing Co., will house the brewing equipment. The rest will be a bar. Eventually, the second floor will be a tap room and the rooftop, which avails great views of downtown, will be an outdoor deck.

The weathered building was the home of S&D Packing Co. until just two years ago.