With over 140 breweries, the Chicago metro area has a massive craft beer scene. One such brewery has really stood out due to its lovely industrial-chic decor and über-tasty brews: Midwest Coast Brewing. Located in West Town, Chicago, this family-friendly and dog-friendly taproom is renowned for its excellent pours including their Volkslager German Pilsner, Gummy Bandit Blueberry Lemon Sour, and Vaguely Stylish: Argyle West Coast IPA. The brewery is also BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) and hosts local popups!
Home Business Magazine had the opportunity to chat with Midwest Coast Brewing’s co-owner and brewer, Cameron Compton, about what sets the establishment apart from other Chicago breweries. He went on to share the traits of a successful brewery business, tips for other entrepreneurs who want to get into the brewery industry in this difficult pandemic era, and his vision for the future of Midwest Coast Brewing!
HBM: Tell us about Midwest Coast Brewing. What sets it apart from other Chicago breweries?
CC: “Midwest Coast is a small craft brewery that opened late fall of 2019 in West Town, Chicago, with the idea of bringing a sense of ‘normalcy’ back to craft beer. When we were putting together our vision, the craft beer scene was dominated by experimental and trendy styles, such as sours, highly fruited beers, IPAs with tons of lactose, etc. We present beers rooted in tradition — even recent traditions — as if you’re going to taste them again for the first time. These aren’t throwbacks — they’re timeless. Our team likes what we call ‘beer flavored beer’ — straightforward lagers, pale ales, stouts, and brown ales. Simple beers, done right.”
HBM: What inspired you to launch your company?
CC: “I had been wanting to start a brewery since I brewed my first batch of beer in my kitchen right after graduating from college in 2010. What I still remember most from that first batch was the smell of the crushed grain mixing with hot water and the wonderful, bread-y aroma that filled our apartment. I still get excited 10 years and countless batches later when that smell fills the brewery.
It took several years and career moves to get to the point where we were ready to launch the business, but here we are! Ultimately, it was the encouragement (rather, insistence) of my family, and the thought of ‘why not now, if I know this is what I want to do?’ The ability to be part of a neighborhood community and something larger than ourselves, and make something that folks can enjoy, was very appealing.”
HBM: What are the traits of a successful brewery business?
CC: “Obviously, the beer has to be good first and foremost, but in the modern craft beer market I think starting with a great taproom helps significantly and building from there. If you go to any grocery store or liquor store, the number of breweries putting out great beer can be overwhelming, so you need to have some brand recognition when customers are looking at the beer shelves. You want that customer to see your label and think ‘Oh man, we love that place! Always have a great time and quality beers… I’ll grab a six-pack from them.’ If you go straight to cans, the label probably won’t resonate as well with them. There’s also the differentiator factor as well — what are you going to do differently, or where are you focusing that others might not be.”
HBM: How has your brewery had to innovate due to the coronavirus pandemic?
CC: “Business restrictions due to COVID have obviously put a major dent in our sales. As a brand new business still trying to recoup all its startup costs and create a name for ourselves, this was even more painful. We’d planned on putting our beer in cans probably some time in 2021, but with bars and restaurants (as well as our own taproom) shuttered, kegs of beer weren’t really moving, so we shifted our strategy and obtained a canning line as soon as possible.
We took the opportunity to sign on with Good Beer Hunting here in Chicago to help us with our branding and by the end of summer/early fall, we had unbelievably beautiful cans ready to hit the market. As others, we also set up online ordering, looked into delivery options, shipping options, and partnered with local popups and stores to create bundles. We also joined zoom calls for virtual tastings and converted our parking lot into a large patio over the summer and fall, which was a huge success.”
HBM: What tips do you have for other entrepreneurs who want to get into the brewery industry, especially in this difficult pandemic era?
CC: “Even though we’re still in the throws of the pandemic, I’d say get started now. Every single step of the process will take much longer than you think. I was told this from the start by other businesses when I asked this question, but I didn’t believe it… let me assure you, it is true! The City of Chicago had a much different timeline for us opening our business than we did… about 2.5x longer.
And try to stay positive — it’s so easy to get beat down by all the changes and requirements that are completely out of your control as a business owner. We try to remember that this will eventually end, that we’re building something incredible and have had fantastic feedback and connections from the community, and it is all trending in the right direction. Every business will face adversity, and there have been silver linings through all of this — it’s just about recognizing them and taking advantage.”
HBM: Where do you hope to see Midwest Coast Brewing in the next 3 years?
CC: “Our goal for MWC has always been to be in the conversation when people talk about their favorite Chicago breweries and beers (which we’re already hearing!). There’s a lot of great beer being made in this city (and in the Midwest in general) by a lot of great people. Three years is a long time, but not so much in what we hope to be the long life of this business. In that time, we want to continue to grow and get in front of more people, and we can’t wait to get back to bringing people together in our taproom for some laughs and a few pints.”
For more info, visit midwestcoastbrewing.com.
