Bent Run Brewing Co.
I had never gone through a proper business plan…So there were a lot of educational hoops that I had to learn and figure out in a quick manner. But they helped me through it. It was a big pain in the butt, but I understand and appreciate the process.
People
What makes a man turn a hobby unto a business? Sometimes, it’s the “likes.” Phil Caudill and friends were home brewing beer and posting pics on Facebook. “We started getting all kinds of comments and inquiries and people were excited that we were going to start a brewery,” Phil says. But were they? Phil bought better equipment, brewed batches, held tastings. Those “likes” turned into smiles.
Progress
After a year spent brewing and running a tasting room a few days a week, Phil was ready to open a brew pub in a downtown Warren development. The Gannon University Small Business Development Center helped with the plan. The folks at The PA Wilds steered him to The Progress Fund, which loaned $314,000.
Impact
Bent Run Brewing – named for a local waterfall – bought a 17-barrel brewing system and a grain silo, and rented space between an outfitter and a climbing gym. With indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the Allegheny River, award-winning craft beers on tap and a menu ranging from venison mountain pies to trout tacos, it’s bringing new sizzle to Warren. “We’ve got this beautiful resource of the national forest and being out on the river,” says Phil. “Bent Run will let us promote Warren as a destination to a lot more people”
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