Asking for money online may not be the traditional way to fund a business but, thanks to crowdfunding website Kickstarter, it’s a path more and more entrepreneurs are choosing.
Local entrepreneur Jesse Paine used the site to raise the final $15,000 needed to launch his Squamish-based craft brewery, One Duck Brewing Company.
Not that it was easy, he explains.
“There were a few days in the middle of the campaign when I thought it wasn’t going to happen – when I was stuck at around $6,000 and had zero dollars come in for three or four days straight. I was pretty down in the dumps.”
But thanks to a little local publicity and friends of friends who helped spread the word on social media, his campaign received the boost it needed.
“I was very, very happy that everything took off in the last week. It just skyrocketed.”
As with many fledgling businesses, this initial success required a personal sacrifice – his time.
“I’m super stoked that I met the goal, but it was very time-consuming. It’s nice that it’s over because I’m not glued to my phone 24/7 now and can actually spend time with my family again.”
Paine’s passion for brewing started about six years ago, when he purchased his first homebrew kit for $200. His first beer, a Mexican lager, wasn’t good, he admits, “’though it wasn’t so terrible you couldn’t drink it.”
Since then he’s been improving his recipes and fulfilling his challenge of personally sampling a different beer every day.
“I’m at about 960 different beers,” he says. “I’ve tried some terrible beers. I’ve tried some really good beers, and I’ve had some of the best beers in the world.”
During this quest he’s developed a passion for Belgian-style ales, which have inspired some of the beers he’ll be brewing and serving in his tap room, including the Belgian wit (light and citrusy), and the Belgian tripel (a strong yet smooth, bright gold ale).
“I just like the tradition of that style of brewing. It’s got more of a hands-on approach to it,” he says, explaining that some of his beers will benefit from aging in the bottle, just like wine.
His focus, he says, won’t be on producing masses of average beer. Instead he’s aiming to produce great beer in the Sea to Sky Corridor and hopes his brews will become popular among local residents.
Although the craft beer market is becoming increasingly crowded, he still feels there’s opportunity for newcomers.
“Craft beer drinkers tend not to just buy one beer and stick to it, they try a bit of everything and they like to have a brewery that has different stuff coming out all the time… so I think they’re going to share the love amongst all of us.”
Paine hopes to open his tap room doors in time for Christmas.
