In August we covered a young entrepreneur who, facing a terrible job market coming out of college, decided to take a risk and start brewing craft beer. The small operation is located in Leesburg and uses some innovative techniques to get the highest yield from ingredients they grow directly on site. After a year of critical acclaim owner Jake Endres is now looking to begin commercial production.
Enter the website Kickstarter, whose goal is to help startups and ideas gain financial backing from hundreds of small donations as opposed to a handful of angel investors. Kickstarter is not an investment website. It is intended for those who want to see something become a reality through crowd-sourcing. Jake is looking to raise $10,000 so he can begin commercial production and grow his eco-tourism brewery. If you are interested in restoring an important legacy of Virginian brewing, something lost after Prohibition, then consider donating whatever you feel comfortable with towards this small business.
With all the awards this small batch brewery has already won, who knows? We might be starting the next Sierra Nevada and beginning the foundations of an industry that could bring jobs and non-federal growth to our region. Afterall, 25 years ago no one thought that Virginia Wines would be successful, and now we have a thriving industry, 10th largest production in the Country, that stretches from Loudoun County to Central Virginia.