In my last post I talked a little bit about Thoreau's view of work and how it is integrally connected with the possession of "stuff." The more "stuff," we have or want, the more we will have to work in order to get it when, according to Thoreau, we actually don't need it at all.
He uses the example of his squatter garden, which he proudly claims profited him $13.44 or around $350 today all told. He planted and hoed and harvested by himself. People who walked by often scoffed at him saying that his field will never bear any fruit because he was so late in planting and because he never actually hoed the whole thing. If he had an ox, he could have gotten it all done earlier, had more leisure time, and would have had more income from a better harvest. Problem is that an ox in 1850 cost around $30, which would come out to be about $650 today. He would be working for almost 2 years to pay off the animal and that doesn't count building the animal a stall, feeding it, etc. The expense adds up without you realizing it! This is still the case today in many situations. Thoreau claimed that he was doing better than any farmer in Concorde that year!
Anyway, with all of that said, I am going to try to take the best of both worlds and start a business based on low overhead, a sound idea, a lot of elbow grease, and some serendipitous resources.
A little background first:
My acquaintance with the great city (village) of Grand Marais began some 8 years ago when I arrived here on my way to be a canoe guide at the end of the Gunflint. At that time Grand Marais was already a tourist destination, but hadn't done a lot to polish up its image. (It has since done a magnificent job of becoming a welcoming destination). That summer I repeatedly told my co-workers that something that Grand Marais needs is a gym because there is no place to work out in this city! Behold, 2 years later: The Pump House and a community gym at the high school.
THEN, I was an intern at the North House Folk School and spent pretty much all of my spare time out in the woods doing this or that, hiking, collecting mushrooms, collecting birch bark, you name it. I told people then, "You know, Grand Marais needs an outdoor sporting good store." Behold, Stone Harbor.
SO, this time I am not going to let my ideas get away from me! I have already begun discussing business plans and potential investors to get this project off of the ground.
Behold, the Grand Marais Brewery.
No, the brewery is NOT in the lighthouse... I doubt that I could get the Coast Guard to go for that one, but I think that the lighthouse is going to be present in the logo when I get it developed...
Anyway...
Grand Marais is a destination. People love it here because it is beautiful and it is pretty calm, and there is some really great food around here. What better to compliment these wonderful things than the ability to quaff some great local beer along with your Lake Superior Trout or Ancho BBQ marinaded pork ribs? Sit by the Lake and enjoy a Pincushion Porter in the shadow of the mountains that gave it its name. Watch the loons fishing while tipping back a Loonlight Belgian White. Dig into a Wild Rice Stout and be transported to a simpler time...
Ok, so that last one was going a little overboard, but I think that you get the point.
I have been brewing since I was an intern at North House. I haven't done much in the last year (because you can't get good hops in India... or any of the other stuff for that matter!), but I am starting to refresh myself and already feel that I have exceeded the brewing knowledge that I accumulated over those years. I do have many additional resources to tap (heehee) into to make sure that the product is as good or better than the idea!
Supply would be limited to the North Shore, starting in Grand Marais and branching out. The recipes are in the works as we speak and if anyone has any name ideas that have to do with things Northern, please send them to me via email! I would love to hear your ideas!
I have serendipitously met several people who have been interested in helping me get this project started: One person who knows a master brewer who can give advice on the recipes, one person who is looking to start a distillery and could potentially coop, and many people who are excited for this to happen.
The first thing is funding. I will likely be able to get some startup funding from the Northeast Entrepreneurial Fund (the same organization that helped one of my friends start a coffee roasting business-- Fika Coffee), but am open to grants and other ways of getting funding. If any of YOU out there in blogger land would be interested in being a part of this, please let me know!
There will be more coming in the future about this, but I just wanted to get the word out more effectively and put some of my ideas down on "paper." And to see what you all have to say about this idea.
This has truly been an interesting development considering my recent reading of Thoreau and Sigurd Olson, both of whom viewed that their work, writing, was so much more important than anything else that they could possibly be doing. I am pleased to be pursuing something that I am excited about and see that this could add another layer of strength to Grand Marais's appeal/draw.
It will be a win/win situation!
Anyway, with all of that said, I am going to try to take the best of both worlds and start a business based on low overhead, a sound idea, a lot of elbow grease, and some serendipitous resources.
A little background first:
My acquaintance with the great city (village) of Grand Marais began some 8 years ago when I arrived here on my way to be a canoe guide at the end of the Gunflint. At that time Grand Marais was already a tourist destination, but hadn't done a lot to polish up its image. (It has since done a magnificent job of becoming a welcoming destination). That summer I repeatedly told my co-workers that something that Grand Marais needs is a gym because there is no place to work out in this city! Behold, 2 years later: The Pump House and a community gym at the high school.
THEN, I was an intern at the North House Folk School and spent pretty much all of my spare time out in the woods doing this or that, hiking, collecting mushrooms, collecting birch bark, you name it. I told people then, "You know, Grand Marais needs an outdoor sporting good store." Behold, Stone Harbor.
Behold, the Grand Marais Brewery.
No, the brewery is NOT in the lighthouse... I doubt that I could get the Coast Guard to go for that one, but I think that the lighthouse is going to be present in the logo when I get it developed...
Anyway...
Ok, so that last one was going a little overboard, but I think that you get the point.
I have been brewing since I was an intern at North House. I haven't done much in the last year (because you can't get good hops in India... or any of the other stuff for that matter!), but I am starting to refresh myself and already feel that I have exceeded the brewing knowledge that I accumulated over those years. I do have many additional resources to tap (heehee) into to make sure that the product is as good or better than the idea!
Supply would be limited to the North Shore, starting in Grand Marais and branching out. The recipes are in the works as we speak and if anyone has any name ideas that have to do with things Northern, please send them to me via email! I would love to hear your ideas!
I have serendipitously met several people who have been interested in helping me get this project started: One person who knows a master brewer who can give advice on the recipes, one person who is looking to start a distillery and could potentially coop, and many people who are excited for this to happen.
The first thing is funding. I will likely be able to get some startup funding from the Northeast Entrepreneurial Fund (the same organization that helped one of my friends start a coffee roasting business-- Fika Coffee), but am open to grants and other ways of getting funding. If any of YOU out there in blogger land would be interested in being a part of this, please let me know!
There will be more coming in the future about this, but I just wanted to get the word out more effectively and put some of my ideas down on "paper." And to see what you all have to say about this idea.
This has truly been an interesting development considering my recent reading of Thoreau and Sigurd Olson, both of whom viewed that their work, writing, was so much more important than anything else that they could possibly be doing. I am pleased to be pursuing something that I am excited about and see that this could add another layer of strength to Grand Marais's appeal/draw.
It will be a win/win situation!
Jay,
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great idea! Have you considered http://www.kickstarter.com/ for funding?
Peter
Yeah! As a resident of the microbrew capital of the world, I get sad about any area not having local deliciousness. And do Kickstarter, for sure. Rewards for local people could be beer, though I'm guessing liquor laws would make that tricky for greater-distance transportation. Other rewards could be items branded with the logo (t-shirts, pint glasses, etc.) or even naming privileges for a seasonal brew for big donors.
ReplyDeleteLaura
Peter, yes! I have considered kickstarter and have looked at comparable projects being pitched there. I need to get a solid business plan developed first and then I will be able to post it up there to get funding for a specific part of the brewing process, such as a fermenter or a kegging system or something like that...
ReplyDeleteAnd to you Laura, Minnesota certainly has a lot of alcohol laws, but I am confident that there can be found a way to wade through all of that. There are over 40 breweries in MN at present and if I can speak with a few of their proprietors I am confident that their experience and my energy/resourcefulness will be able to work it out. I am excited about it and hope for much deliciousness in the future!