Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.: A Crowdfunding Success Story
Two hiker bros walk into a bar– sounds like the beginning of a joke but it’s actually the start of the unlikely success story of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. When this unique brewery opened its doors in 2013, they had no idea they would be named “Best New Brewery in the World” by RateBeer.com mere months later, sparking international interest. Over the last 11 years, they have won awards and hosted acclaimed brew masters from multiple countries. The key to their success is crowdfunding.
Their journey started after a few years of home brewing; Jonathan Buford and Patrick Ware realized they had something special: a true passion. These two friends share a deep love of beer, hiking, and the state of Arizona. They spent hours hiking and hashing out the concept of a brewery that specializes in small-batch beer made with locally grown plants. Unfortunately, neither of these men, the business manager who joined them, nor their circle of friends and family had the capital needed to launch a project like this.
Enter a Kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is one of the best-known crowdfunding sites where companies solicit donations to fund their ideas. Usually, each investor gets some sort of gift or the product the company is planning to create as a reward. Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. raised $43,000 to create their brewery, but it wasn’t enough. The founders suffered significant hardships during this process and almost went bankrupt, but they believed strongly in their plans and asked their community for donations to fill the gap. With their kickstarted funds, personal sacrifices, and last-minute capital from loved ones, they succeeded in opening their brewery.
It wasn’t just crowdfunding that built the brewery; community involvement was a vital part of its creation, and that same community helped it flourish with ongoing support. It doesn’t hurt that the beers and chef-crafted menu at Arizona Wilderness Brewery Co. are made with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. They have captured the hearts and taste buds of the community and continue to inspire local pride with their commitment to sustainability and the use of foraged and local ingredients like Sonoran white wheat, mesquite pods, and Sonoran honey.
Crowdfunding allowed the founders to focus on their vision rather than outside equity or handing over decisions to shareholders. The founders have the freedom to create innovative beers with surprising ingredients; those same innovations have made them an award-winning brewery. The independence that crowdfunding provided gave them the ability to support local farms, create a compost model that gives back to those farms, and prioritize making their brewery gardens an Audobon-approved bird paradise. The founders of Arizona Wilderness Brewery Co. have built, through crowdfunding and community support, a legacy that makes the whole town proud.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. is a symbol of what crowdfunding can achieve. They transformed their vision into reality and built a sustainable, community-oriented business. Crowdfunding creates financial pathways and weaves a stronger connection between businesses and their communities.
To learn more about the details of crowdfunding and other options for raising capital, tune into the Alternative Investments Chat podcast!
