Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam Beauchamp.
Hi Adam , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in metro Atlanta and graduated from the University of Georgia in 2005 with double major in Genetics and Ecology. I was drawn to science through a curiosity for the inner workings of the natural world and a deep love of being in nature. While at UGA, I also developed an interest in craft beer. The variety was fun and exciting. Following graduation, I pursued a PhD in Genetics at Emory for 2 years; however, academia was missing something for me.
Some of the first dates with my now wife Katie were at a local craft brewery where the bar was essentially in the production area. I could see that the production team was working hard but enjoying themselves and that the business was doing very well. It occurred to me that I wanted to make something for others to enjoy and gather around. I wanted to use my creativity and science knowledge to apply to a business. I began to realize that entrepreneurship could be a good fit for me.
So, I left the Emory PhD program and began volunteering at that brewery. During my interview, I told them that one day I wanted to open my own brewery. I spent seven years working all departments in production, as well as creating a homebrew every two weeks without exception to gain deep experience.
I linked up with David Stein who had the original idea for Creature Comforts. He had a great sense for marketing but needed someone who understood production brewing operations. David found our initial investment and we set off to create the beers and the brand along with Katie and Blake Tyers.
We all moved to Athens and built the brewery in 2013. During those early days, we all worked every job and put in long hours, but we were extremely tight-knit. My main role was to serve as the brewmaster. Katie discovered ways to bring in community such as the farmers market, get comfortable philanthropic work, music and art.
Creature Comforts became known as a gathering place for people and ideas. We had early success with Tropicalia, which quickly became a very sought-after beer and catapulted us to places we never could have imagined such as:
**Built state of the art large scale production facility in Athens to handle the additional volume needed
**The company’s flagship community impact program, Get Comfortable, has mobilized more than $5MM in value for the greatest needs of our community
**In “Avengers: Endgame” the heroic lead character portrayed by Chris Hemsworth, Thor, is seen enjoying **Creature Comforts’ Tropicália and Athena beers.
**Opened a brewery and taproom in Los Angeles in 2023.
**Named the Official Craft Beer & Taproom of the University of Georgia Athletics.
**Ascended to CEO role in 2024.
**Classic City Lager won a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival last month (and also in 2022).
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We’ve built three breweries and large construction projects are my least favorite part of the business. It is taxing to be functioning as a business while simultaneously managing large construction projects. There is so much detail in building a brewery and it’s critical that you get it right for the sake of the people who’ll work there, as well as the quality and efficiency which you can produce beer. Timelines and budgets often get stretched and the workload can be overwhelming. The stress can pervade the organization. While we’ve learned a lot through these projects, it’s still not a core competency.
We’ve had some scary supply chain issues throughout the years. A few times I thought we might not have access to cans for extended periods of time which would have the potential to sink the company if it went on long enough. However, we’ve always managed to get through these difficult periods.
Since we can’t handle most of our operations remotely, the pandemic was certainly not easy to navigate. We had to find ways to adapt and lean into our value system to make decisions that kept the business moving.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
tell us more about your professional life and career related to your business
I have a few thoughts:
**I believe in being a liberating leader.
**I try to calibrate support and challenge to the individual based on the situation.
**I believe that being unclear is unkind
**I believe that having a difficult conversation is in the best interest of all parties involved.
**I have high expectations of those I lead but I commit to supporting them.
**I try to model our value system, hire those who share those values and expect that people within the company continue to stay within those guardrails.
**My time in my first brewery role taught me the skills I needed to be a successful brewer, but I’ve added leadership and business skills during my time at Creature Comforts largely through the mentorship of Chris Herron, our former CEO, but also through a healthy curiosity, the ability to enjoy the challenge, and comfort in being a beginner.
**I have the support of an incredibly talented group of employees at Creature these days that make this all possible.
What makes you happy?
My family makes me happy. I have a lovely wife of 17 years that works with me at Creature Comforts as the Director of Hospitality. We share a beautiful 3-year-old little girl. My favorite hours are spent with them and our families. I find I get the greatest satisfaction when I know I have worked hard at something that I see pay off for myself and others. I love sharing things I’ve created with people to bring them joy. The simple pleasure of connecting with another person over a beer is pretty tough to beat!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://creaturecomfortsbeer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creaturecomfortsbeer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreatureComfortsBeer/
- Twitter: https://x.com/creaturebeer
