Brewing a New Market for Microloans.
ACCION 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
Destination: Karl’s Sausage
ACCION USA client Karl’s Sausage Kitchen & European Market is a destination for meat lovers throughout New England and beyond. On Tuesday night, it was a destination for ACCION USA staff, as some of us drove to Saugus, MA to participate in a ceremony celebrating the installation of their new business sign.
It was for the design and installation of this sign that Karl’s applied and was approved for an $18,000 loan from ACCION USA’s Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Fund, a partnership between ACCION USA and Samuel Adams designed to provide access to capital and mentorship for small business owners in the food, beverage and hospitality sectors. “The credit crunch and recession have really made it difficult for businesses of our type to secure a loan. We were lucky to hear about the program,” said Anita, one of the owners of Karl’s.
As we stood outside for the lighting of the new sign, a fresh and catchy look that fully maintains the Karl’s tradition, I glanced around me at the family, friends, distributors, and loyal customers that had gathered for an evening of German Sausages and celebration with the owners of Karl’s. I thought about how much the business is impacting the community, not just in the lives of their 6 employees (soon to be 7), but their neighbors, long-time customers and especially Doris, the first employee of Karl’s who has worked there since 1958. ‘It’s been my life’, said Doris when selling items at the cash register. I was tremendously proud that ACCION USA was a part of this celebration, and could be a partner in the new life and energy that Anita and her husband Bob are pouring into this landmark business.
Check out write-ups in boston.com’s business updates and the Lynn Daily. Congratulations Anita and Bob! ACCION USA is thrilled to be a part of your business journey.
Karl’s Sausage Kitchen, located at 142 Broadway (Route 1 North), is open Tuesday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 9a.m. to 6p.m. Reach the business by phone at (781) 233-3099 or online at www.karlssausage.com.
ACCION USA and Samuel Adams Brew Excitement in Hartford, CT
The Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Program, a partnership between ACCION USA and Samuel Adams is brewing excitement in cities throughout New England. After hosting a number of speed coaching events in Boston and Providence, I was wondering how much interest an evening of speed coaching could drum up in the Hartford area. Let’s just say I was not left disappointed.
On Monday evening, ACCION USA and Samuel Adams staff traveled to Billings Forge Community Works, an organization making a splash in the Frog Hollow community through job training and education courses. Nearly 50 people with small food & beverage and hospitality businesses attended to rotate through 20-minute sessions with Samuel Adams experts in marketing & public relations, logo design, packaging, sales and distribution, along with local business development coaches, attorneys and accountants.
The room was hardly able to contain the energy, as entrepreneurs soaked up valuable tips from coaches and networked with one another. Clearly there is a demand for these kinds of opportunities in a city like Hartford, where small businesses are looking for ways in today’s economy to, as one participant put it in a recent article in the Hartford Courant , “get a better sense of how [to] take [the] business from point A to point B.” I was inspired to see the dedication and enthusiasm with which businesses like Southern Relishes (who participated in Monday night’s speed coaching) seek to further establish and grow their businesses, having a positive impact in their local communities.
How wonderful it is for ACCION USA and Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream to provide a space that can help pave the way for entrepreneurial success.