Success Story
Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen
Did you know that nationally and internationally award-winning European-style beer is brewed in Bellingham in a building overlooking the waterfront?
In 2008 Mari and Will Kemper started Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen adjacent to the waterfront in downtown, Bellingham, Washington with the dream of producing world class beer that could be enjoyed by all. For the 15 years prior to starting their business, the couple had been working on different projects in the craft beer movement both in the U.S. and abroad. Back home in Bellingham, the couple is now offering consumers "something different in a beer for those with discriminating taste," according to Will, the company's brewmaster. Mari oversees the restaurant while Will is in charge of the brewery.
Will Kemper's passion for creating European style beers is evident the first time you meet him. It is easy to see how making beer is both an art and a science that Will has fine-tuned through the years. He will tell you about the delicate nuances that affect the senses in the various lagers and ales he brews and how those came about because of his meticulous brewing process. It is all in the details. According to Will, "there is an old saying, farmers make wine and engineers make beer."
In worldwide competition, Chuckanut Brewery beers have stood up to the competition. In 2009 the brewery was named "America's Best Small Brew Pub" and "Best Small Brew Pub" at the National Great American Beer Festival. Since 2009 the brewery has won medals: four gold, three silver and one bronze for their handcrafted beer. The Kempers also won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup.
Chuckanut Brewery has been called one of Bellingham's best kept secrets. In fact the brewery is known for making excellent beer more out of Bellingham than in. Due to demand 60% of the beer brewed in Bellingham is being shipped to the Seattle area. "Chuckanut Brewery has distinguished itself by making world-class lagers. Sure they make some ales but it's the lagers that have them set apart," according to the Washington Beer Blog on October 2010.
Will has been a major influencer in the beer craft industry. He holds a bachelor of science in chemical engineering and a graduate of the Siebel Institute of Technology in Brewing Microscopy and Microbiology. Will also completed the first Master Brewers Program at the University of California at Davis and taught brewery engineering for the American Brewers Guild in Davis, California in the 1990s. His video lectures are still used by the Guild in their professional training programs. Will is also a diploma member of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling based in London, England. And he an active member of the Master Brewers Association of the Americas.
Because of his expertise Will has been the creator behind numerous craft breweries and brew pubs. He has engineered and supervised construction; created the recipes; and managed the businesses through the start-up stage.
Will was a brew master for Thomas Kemper before the brewery was sold and became a famous soda company. He has also served as a brewmaster for Aviator Ales in Seattle; Norwester Brewing in Portland; Mile High Brewing in Denver, Colorado; and Dock Street Brewing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Internationally, the Kempers started the first two Sierra Madre Brewpubs in Monterrey, Mexico and started the first brewpub and craft brewery in Istanbul, Turkey.
To help educate people about European style beers, Mari organizes special events several times a year at Chuckanut Brewery. Dining in the candlelit brewery, participants experience four beers that are paired with quality food. Will and Mari usually discuss the selections and adds interesting tidbits from their travels to England, Belgium and Germany.
The Kempers have worked with the Center for Economic Vitality (CEV) for help with the business side of the brewery. Since coming to the CEV, the Kempers have increased their bottom line by more than $90,000 and have doubled their brewing capacity. "James helps us see the big picture and has worked to help grow our business," stated Mari. "This business is competitive and we started in a difficult time. It is important to have someone that can provide the technical business input that we need and can relate to the emotional aspect of running a business that I need. And we have found that in James, our business advisor."
The CEV has helped the Kemper's look at their business in a different light and provided tools to make each distinct component, whether a profit or cost center, more efficient and effective at producing the results that lead to the business moving towards their long-term goals. Operating a brewery and a restaurant require different competitive intelligence and management tools and the CEV supported the Kemper's efforts in both areas.
Financing has been a huge obstacle to most businesses in the past 18 months. The CEV helped the Kemper's position their business to be ready when financing became available and encouraged them to look beyond traditional methods of financing. When the financing community began to look at investment opportunities the Kempers were ready with an expansion plan for their brewery which doubled their capacity and increased their efficiency.
Operating a restaurant in any type of economy is challenging. The costs and management needs can be overwhelming to the most seasoned owner. The CEV worked with the Kempers to streamline and deliver the items their customers desired both at a reasonable price and at a reasonable cost.