Samuel Adams Has Dedicated $64 Million To Helping American Entrepreneurs Achieve Success

Covid-19 has led many individuals to rethink their careers. Because of this, the variety of new enterprise purposes within the U.S. is up 38% compared to the year before the pandemic. Sadly, solely 25% of new businesses survive 15 years or extra. In different phrases, most founders may gain advantage from some further assist.

That is the place Samuel Adams’ philanthropic program Brewing the American Dream (BTAD) comes into play. Since 2008, it has supplied greater than 3,200 loans to native meals and beverage entrepreneurs for a complete of practically $64 million throughout 39 states. Of those, 80% establish as BIPOC or feminine enterprise homeowners. The businesses supported by this system have created or retained greater than 9,000 jobs of their native communities. As well as, BTAD has suggested greater than 12,000 individuals whole. It conducts common “pitch rooms” throughout the nation, the place native companies have the chance to win grant cash and attend pace enterprise teaching classes.

Jim Koch first brewed Samuel Adams in his kitchen in 1984, igniting the craft beer motion. He quickly launched the Brewing the American Dream philanthropic program to offer again to the neighborhood and assist small enterprise homeowners pursue their passions and obtain their desires.

Jennifer Glanville, who was recognized by Fast Company as considered one of its “Most Inventive Folks in Enterprise,” oversees Brewing the American Dream, its associates and collaborating companies. “It has been a pleasure to see so many companies flourish,” she says. “Our entrepreneurs have been confronted with robust challenges because of the Covid pandemic, however their resilience and can-do angle has pushed them and helped their companies succeed. Now greater than ever, it will be significant for this system to supply its assist.”

Listed below are six of the quite a few entrepreneurs who’ve benefitted from the assist of Brewing the American Dream.

1.    Melissa Garcia Villanueva, CEO & Founder, Brewpoint Espresso

Brewpoint Coffee is a espresso store that first began in Elmhurst, IL and has expanded to a few extra places within the seven years since. Lately, in addition they started producing Brewpoint Craft beer. “We stay in a scary world,” says CEO and founder Melissa Garcia Villanueva. “There are plenty of issues that really feel fully out of our management. However when you’re an entrepreneur, you get one little nook of the world that you’ll be able to form. That is one thing actually particular.” 

Villanueva feels that BTAD has been extremely useful to rising her enterprise, from offering monetary assist, to mentorship and a neighborhood of different entrepreneurs. “Brewing the American Dream is the entire package deal for small enterprise homeowners,” she says.

2.    Pamela A. Jones, President & CEO, Charboy’s

Charboy’s branded sauces are bought in over 450 shops throughout the U.S., in Complete Meals and on Amazon. It’s a women-, minority- and veteran-owned enterprise based in 2008 by Pamela A. Jones. Throughout her 15 years of lively obligation navy service, she felt impressed by the cuisines of Austria, Germany, London, Italy, and Panama. Later, she discovered her ardour in creating quite a lot of all-natural merchandise representing completely different cultures, all of that are decrease in sodium and sugar than conventional sauces.

“As an entrepreneur, it takes arduous work and powerful willpower to have your desires come true. You have to be self-driven,” Jones says. BTAD has supplied her with “a big quantity of help and assist” together with teaching, mentoring, networking alternatives, and model publicity in articles from main publications similar to Entreprenuer.com, Black Enterprise Journal, and Crain’s Chicago Enterprise.

3.    Heather Yunger, Founder & Proprietor, High Shelf Cookies

Top Shelf Cookies presents a broad collection of distinctive cookies utilizing prime quality, typically surprising substances. “I by no means got down to be a baker, however I’ve all the time beloved making and consuming cookies,” says founder and proprietor Heather Yunger. “I had a loopy superstition that if I introduced my Black & Gold cookies to the bar earlier than each Boston Bruins house recreation, they’d win. When the Bruins received the Stanley Cup on the finish of the season and my cookies had been an enormous hit, I made a decision possibly I ought to make a go of it.”

Yunger says that she acquired encouragement from Brewing the American Dream since High Shelf Cookies was simply an concept. One of many regulars at her favourite pregame bar was none aside from BTAD Director Jennifer Glanville herself. Yunger has acquired 4 loans via this system’s financing accomplice, Accion. She additionally feels that the “actual life enterprise recommendation is gold.” 

4.    Isis Arrieta-Dennis, Founder & Proprietor, The Arepa Place

The Arepa Place operates a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Cincinnati, OH that makes a speciality of a Colombian and Venezuelan dish often called arepas. Founder and Proprietor Isis Arrieta-Dennis is initially from Colombia. As an immigrant, she enjoys sharing her tradition via meals.

The funds Arrieta-Dennis acquired from Brewing the American Dream went in direction of buying an costly skillet. Along with the monetary help supplied, she says, BTAD has confirmed “a terrific supply of each motivation and confidence proper earlier than opening my restaurant, and a few actually good publicity! Additionally, it related me with native entrepreneurs and neighborhood members, which has been very useful.”

5.    Kate Russell, Co-Proprietor, Hopkinsville Brewing Firm

Hopkinsville Brewing Company is a women- and veteran-owned and operated, domestically sourced, and neighborhood oriented craft beer nano-brewery. Along with brewing craft beer, it goals to supply its Hopkinsville and Christian County, Kentucky neighborhood with a vacation spot, an area during which to chill out and work together with pals. “It’s necessary for small, unbiased enterprise homeowners to comply with their desires as a result of that’s what retains communities like Hopkinsville from succumbing to the sprawl of Tremendous Walmart and Greenback Normal,” says co-owner Kate Russell.

In 2021, Hopkinsville Brewing Firm was chosen for the BTAD Experienceship Program. They had been in a position to increase, communicate with electricians, brewers, accountants, taproom managers, and human sources specialists at Samuel Adams, and get the steering wanted to construct out and full manufacturing gear purchases. “Along with all of the enterprise recommendation, it’s been superb to see how many individuals have heard of us or have seen us within the media since we had been introduced as this 12 months’s recipient,” says Russell.

6.    Maya Madsen, Founder & Proprietor, Maya’s Cookies

Based in 2015 by Maya Madsen, Maya’s Cookies is America’s high Black-owned vegan cookie firm. As a vegan with a candy tooth, Madsen spent years crafting her award-winning recipes. Raised as a foster youngster, she skilled a tough childhood. However her arduous work, perseverance, and natural-born aggressive spirit have paid off.

In 2017, Maya’s Cookies acquired a $5,000 micro mortgage through BTAD, which they’ve since repaid. This assisted the small enterprise in securing provides, hiring employees and constructing out the corporate. To aspiring entrepreneurs, Madsen presents this recommendation. “Discover individuals in your life that elevate you up. Rent professionals round you in areas that aren’t in your space of experience, but additionally that align to your sensibility. Good chemistry is so necessary.”