The legacy of The Pour Farm Tavern will soon be in new hands as new owners are stepping up to keep the legacy alive.

Owner Craig Ribeiro will soon pass the keys to the "PFT castle" to Brad and Jen Cardoza of Fairhaven. Brad is CEO of CrossFit New Bedford/Erg Fit with his wife. The current and new owners have known each other for years, making this process a friendly transition all around.

"Jen and I have wanted to buy The Pour Farm for a very long time," Cardoza said. "We dreamed of it being ours one day if Craig ever decided to sell and when Covid hit, it really brought a lot of business owners, especially bar owners, down. That's when he decided to sell and we were ready to take on the reigns of the business."

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After 13 years of creating a different and happening atmosphere in the downtown district, Ribeiro, who also has years of U.S. Army service to his name, decided to finally hang up his hat.

"It's time for me to go," Ribeiro said. "Covid took the wind out of my sails. We all have a shelf life and mine is up. Multiple deployments didn’t help either, but I'm glad it’s going to an independent restaurateur who will continue to carry on the tradition of The Pour Farm Tavern. I am happy that Brad and Jen came forward ... wouldn’t have sold it otherwise."

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For the last 15 years, the Cardozas have been looking for the perfect opportunity and The Pour Farm Tavern sealed the deal. They say they hope to make the tavern more of a dining experience.

"The heart and soul of the tavern will remain the same," Cardoza said. "We're just adding our own spin to it and really want to enhance the kitchen some more. We aren't going to be taking anything off of the menu, just adding to it. All the favorites will stay, but we plan on adding more gastro-pub items alongside the BBQ with some creative chefs and rotating specials."

Pour Farm is known to many who have frequented the quaint Purchase Street establishment for its large variety of craft beers on tap. The Cardozas plan on taking that to a whole new level with:

Beer Fests
Tap takeovers
Meet the brewer events
Exclusive beers that won't be found elsewhere in New Bedford

Entertainment Will Continue

Neil McCarthy Trio on Thursday
Karaoke by A-OK Karaoke on Wednesday
Live rotating bands and acts on the Weekends
Pearly Baker Band on Sunday (still in the works) in the outside patio area

Before Ribeiro began The Pour Farm, Gary Rosa ran The Last Laugh on the same site for 13 years, the same amount of time Ribeiro was in business. Now that the time has come for the Cardozas, they hope for at least another 13 years, if not more, to keep the tradition alive.

For now, the legacy of The Pour Farm Tavern lives on.

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Source: New Bedford’s Pour Farm Tavern Passes Torch to Continue Downtown Legacy

Filed Under: New Bedford, SouthCoast bars, southcoast restaurants, The Pour Farm Tavern

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