For my first post, I thought it best to introduce the founding team, and to give a very brief introduction as to how we found each other. As many awesome beer gatherings often catalyze in ATL, our partnership began at the Porter Beer Bar under the guidance of one Ms. Molly Gunn. How it happened:
Jason Pellett, our trumpet maestro turned brew hero, was a Porter regular and longtime home brewer (front and center when Anthony Bourdain mentions Beer Geeks at the Porter for the Layover Atlanta show). Jason befriended both Molly and the infamous Nick Rutherford, and started plotting his brand, the premise of which was, “what is the point of brewing beer already being brewed in Atlanta when there are so many awesome styles I can’t get here?” Fast forward a few years and the invention of Lyric Ale and Atalanta becoming Molly and Nick favorites, and enter our second partner:
Andrew Lorber, our CFO and fine dining liaison, was visiting from NYC where he had started a venture capital fund to invest in craft breweries. As Andy believed that the GA and greater Southeast markets would have the highest growth breweries, his first stop on a due diligence trip home to ATL was with Molly at the Porter. After a rundown of all the local players, Andy asked “if you could invest in a craft brewery in GA, who would it be?” Molly without hesitation replied, “Jason Pellett has the quintessential brewmaster personality and has amazing and consistent beer.” Though Andy originally dismissed the idea of backing a start-up (his focus was on breweries going from contract brewing to their own facilities or small systems to large ones), and would not meet with Jason in person, he accepted a few Orpheus brews from Molly. When he tried the 12th Labor, he became so excited for the beer that he knew he needed to consider Jason and Orpheus Brewing seriously. When Molly realized they were starting to negotiate, she decided to email me as well.
Will Arnold, former Frisbee player and solar guy turned beer salesperson (me!), graduated from Paideia high school in 2000 with both Andy and Molly, and moved back to ATL from LA in June 2010 half a block from the Porter. At the time, I was travelling for SolarCity to its new east coast markets Monday-Friday, and would often come straight from the airport via Marta to the Porter patio to start my weekend. Interestingly, I had gotten to review Molly’s first restaurant business plan for a wine bar in 2006, and was sold on her talents as a restaurateur to the point that I expressed interest in helping her raise capital for future concepts. Though we looked at a few things, nothing materialized, except her understanding that my entrepreneurial spirit was budding. In May 2012, she emailed me about an “Alternative Investment” (actual email subject) in a brewer, stating “His name is Jason Pellett and he has a business plan and his beers are awesome!”, and that “Andrew Lorber from our class is considering investing a sizable chunk of change (that’s his job now as a brewery venture capitalist)”.
Over the next year, both Andy and I gradually grew more convinced. What we saw in Jason was more than a talented and consistent home brewer, but a focused and disciplined professional willing to take on any challenge he faced. What we found as a group was a powerful mix of strengths and personalities, all willing to fight for our beliefs and compromise for the benefit of Orpheus Brewing.
A year later I had left SolarCity, Andy had shelved the venture capital fund and moved back to ATL, and Jason was receiving his first (albeit very small) paychecks as an employee of Orpheus Brewing! The best parts to me have been the constant learning, the sincere enjoyment and respect I share for our team, and, of course, the incredibly artful beer.
To echo Jason’s earlier sentiment, we cannot wait to raise our glasses with you all this year. Salud!
-Will