We brew what we teach and we teach what we brew — and we’re gonna have fun. — Bill Campbell, Brewmented
Oftentimes, a good business opportunity can be found by looking at an established industry in new and unique ways. For Bill Campbell and partner, Vlad Aleksiev, Brewmented was a solution to converting craft beer drinkers and wine/mead/cider affectionados to home brewers and winemakers. A home brewer since the 1970’s, Bill Campbell has watched the huge growth in the craft beer industry and the number of craft beer drinkers wanting to brew at home. It’s no secret that, along with the growth of the Colorado craft beer scene, craft beer is becoming increasingly more eclectic. Rather than leave these thirsty beer connoisseurs hanging, Brewmented was created to teach their target market how to make their favorite fermentable beverage and perhaps inspire underrepresented segments of the market (e.g., women, first-time brewers, millenials) to take up the hobby and brew a batch at home.
Formed in 2017, Brewmented’s business model is built on three pillars: a fast-growing e-commerce website, a brick-and-mortar store selling a slew of products to help with home brewing, and an in-house brewery and taproom where the magic happens. Education and community engagement are at the heart of the business, with Bill Campbell and other Brewmented partners sharing their knowledge with all who are interested. Colorado is a “hot-bed of homebrewing” and Brewmented is ready and waiting to “serve” the enlarged market.
Since the launch of their online store in 2017 and the opening of their brewery, taproom, and physical store just a few months later, Brewmented has kept the momentum going. Future goals include: 1) continue to establish Brewmented as a destination homebrew store, 2) substantially increase revenue through the Brewmented online store, 3) become recognized as one of the top 5 players in e-commerce education and products for home brewers in the US, and 4) replicate the Brewmented brand and business model to expand beyond the Colorado region. To help them along their journey, Boulder SBDC assisted Brewmented in business/financial planning and funding, including helping them receive a $250,000 SBA loan awarded by Colorado Business Bank.
Bill Campbell talks of his company with pride and passion. He describes their brick-and-mortar store as a “place to come in, learn about homebrewing, and drink good experimental beer” with hopes of it becoming the “go-to destination home brew store.” Despite their knowledge of the beer world and Brewmented’s big goals, partners Bill and Vlad remain humble and transparent, saying, “We recognize where our strengths are but we also recognize where we needed outside expertise.” Boulder SBDC is proud to have helped Brewmented thus far and is excited to see them achieve their business goals in the years ahead.
