Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Herron.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am the CEO and one of the Co-founders of Creature Comforts Brewing Co. in Athens, GA. Before taking on the role at Creature Comforts, I spent 12 years working in senior level sales, pricing and finance roles for major beverage alcohol suppliers across multiple US markets, with the dream of one day opening a craft brewery in Georgia. In 2014, I had the opportunity to make that dream a reality by joining the team at Creature Comforts, so my family and I relocated to Athens, GA where we started Creature Comforts Brewing Co. Our founders all got here through different paths, but it really stems from us all having a natural curiosity about the world, finding things that we enjoyed in our lives and trying to incorporate that into our lives more.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
One of the biggest challenges we faced opening a brewery in Georgia was the unfavorable legislation for small businesses in the industry that was in place when we first opened. However, we’re proud to have been able to work alongside our wholesaler partners to negotiate a solution we all felt was a positive step for the Georgia Beer Industry at large, which resulted in Senate Bill 85 being passed. We have been excited to see the positive effects of the legislative change since it went into effect in September 2017.
As a small business cash is always the biggest challenge, so having an environment (the tasting room) with a short cash life cycle and improved margins has be invaluable in our ability to hire additional staff, increase our marketing efforts, and improve the general health of the business.
Creature Comforts Brewing Co. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Creature Comforts Brewing Company is an Athens, Georgia based brewery offering finely balanced artisanal beers. Our mission is to build an industry-respected craft brewery that inspires people to pursue their passion.
Quality and balance are both core to who we are as a brewery and are both factors that make our beer unique. We will not pour or sell anything that we do not think is true to our brand or anything that does not meet our standard of quality. We also are always looking to have balance in each beer we brew. We prioritize both quality and balance because if we are asking consumers to spend their hard-earned money on our beer, they deserve to know that the beer will taste great and like they expected it to taste. That is an easy thing to talk about, but a hard thing to and I am very proud of our team for living it daily.
I am also extremely proud of the work we have done to support our community through a fund we started called the: “Get Comfortable Fund.” In just three years, we have been able to work with other businesses in our community to raise nearly $200K for local area non-profits that are combating our community’s most pressing needs.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For us, our mission is to build an industry-respected brewery that inspires people to pursue their passion. We think that by putting our focus on industry respect, that industry respect will overflow into the brewery both becoming consumer loved and commercially successful. So, the question we ask ourselves is, “if your favorite brewery walked through the door right now, would you be proud to show them how you do your job?” – it is a simple question, but a difficult standard. If we believe that we are operating, as well as we possibly can across our business with the resources that we have, then, that is success for us.
Contact Info:
- Address: 271 W Hancock Avenue
Athens, GA 30601 - Website: www.creaturecomfortsbeer.com
- Phone: 706-410-1043
- Email: curious@ccbeerco.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/creaturecomfortsbeer/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CreatureComfortsBeer/
- Twitter: twitter.com/creaturebeer
Image Credit:
Creature Comforts
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