Brewing a New Market for Microloans.
September 13th, 2011 by Alejandra Boggiano in Stories from the Field, Success StoriesACCION USA Staff are brewing up a new market for our microloans. Where, you may ask, are we stirring up this new business? Well, we like to think of ourselves as ‘loan brewristas’, taking the craft brew scene by storm in partnership with Samuel Adams on our Brewing the American Dream program.
As the craft brew scene in America blossoms, ACCION USA is working alongside the industry’s leader and pioneer Samuel Adams to champion small craft brewers by providing microloans to start or expand a home or contract brewing operation, storefront brewery or brewpub.
Our Craft Brewer Loan Fund is making a splash across the country, supporting unique brews like California based Mateveza , Roc Brewing Company in Rochester NY and Flounder Brewing in Hillsborough. Through a recent loan to a home brew supply shop, we feel we’re starting to make a real mark on an exciting movement.
A few years ago, I (Erica) read an article in New York magazine about a couple that had opened a homebrew shop in Brooklyn. I remember being impressed by knowing that something like this could exist, that a young couple, both former chefs could open their own hobby store in the midst of the greatest recession my generation has seen.
Danielle and Benjamin’s homebrew shop is nestled in a swampy yet very hip neighborhood called Gawanus in Brooklyn. You feel like a happy hobbit walking into their garden level brew dwelling- upon entering you see a magnificently organized candy store for the likes of hobby craft brewers. When they responded to my direct email about the Brewing the American Dream Program, I biked over as quickly as I could to explain the awesome benefits that ACCION and Sam Adams have to offer their crafty community.
When Benjamin and Danielle opened Brooklyn homebrew they did it without the help of a bank or a credit card. They started selling from their home at first and later expanded to their store front on 3rd avenue. The issue Danielle and Benjamin were encountering was having space to keep enough inventory-they are able to sell out of their entire stock, sometimes in just one weekend! Once Danielle and Benjamin submitted their application and a few documents, ACCION USA was able to approve them for a loan of $10,000 to buy a larger fridge and to rent a storage space nearby to keep their beer booty.
As the American craft beer renaissance continues to take off in Brooklyn, so does their business.
At ACCION, we are very excited to be contributing to an incredible movement of entrepreneurial creativity. In addition to providing capital, mentorship, and PR support, our Craft Brewer Program has offered brewers the opportunity to apply for the Samuel Adams Experienceship. Stay tuned for more details on how you can help us select our winner!
-Erica and Elizabeth, ACCION USA Loan Brewistas.
Tags: beer, beer loan, beer microloan, brewer, brewery, brewing the american dream, loan money, micro brewer, microbrewer, microfinance, microloan, Sam Adams
No Responses to “Brewing a New Market for Microloans.”
Home brewing Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
February 16th, 2012 at 7:12 pmThis is a very cool idea. Beer is one of those great things that exists where the little guy can truly do it so much better than the big corporations.
Leave a Reply
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Brewer Microloan | Main Street Microfinance
via accionusa.org
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment