Donum Dei Brewery - Donum Dei is Latin for "gift of God": Before the discovery of yeast, brewers considered a successful batch of beer a gift of God
iCrowdNewswire -
Jun 24, 2015 10:25 AM ET
Donum Dei Brewery
Personal Story
My husband Rick and I met and married in 1981. By 1990 we had 2 children, ages 6 and 4, and the oil industry in which Rick was employed had fallen into hard economic times. We decided he should go back to college and study electronics. To support the family during this time, we managed to arrange financing with zero collateral for a concession franchise. The entire family (yes, the children worked the counter) successfully ran it together, allowing Rick to finish a BS in electrical engineering.
A job in medical imaging brought the family to Louisville, KY. Shortly after moving, I was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, doctors were able to remove the tumor and I have remained cancer-free. After nearly 20 years, Rick was asked to transfer. By this time we were grandparents and caregivers for our mothers and decided to decline the transfer. Wanting to leave a legacy for our family, we used our own savings to turn a hobby and passion into a business: Donum Dei Brewery.
Business Description
Donum Dei is Latin for “gift of God.” Before the discovery of yeast, brewers considered a successful batch of beer a gift of God for two reasons: brewing made the water potable and alcohol and hops preserved the grain in the form of beer.
As any home brewer, we had pipe dreams of one day starting a brewery. When we decided to part ways with Rick’s job, the decision was made not to work for someone else. We researched many possibilities for starting our own business. The phrase “do what you love and you will never work another day” sounded appealing. So early in 2013 the planning and research phase of the project began. Rick became a certified Doemens Beer Sommelier, one of fewer than 20 in the United States. We began buying and assembling equipment and looking for a location.
We signed a lease on a closed café in September 2013 and began demolition and construction, thinking we could move in and start brewery construction immediately. However, state requirements added months of delay and cost overruns. Over the next few months we completed 95% of the construction ourselves. Rick and I then went to Colorado to learn the nuts and bolts of running a brewery.
We opened on St. Patrick’s Day 2015 and business has grown to the point where we can start selling to restaurants. We hope to grow this business and leave it to our children and grandchildren. We also want to help support friends that are missionaries in Africa and be able to be generous to the community that supports us.
What is the purpose of this loan?
This money will enable us to buy an additional fermentation vessel, which will double our productivity. New ones cost $12,000-$15,000, but we can get a used one for $8,000-$10,000. Increased production will allow us to sell our beer to outside restaurants and enter phase 2 of our business plan.