Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Sposito.
Hi Ryan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I was in college at Kent State University working on my bachelor’s degree when my family struck tragedy. My brother Jacob, who owned his own coffee shop and roasters, was diagnosed with brain cancer. I came home to work at the shop and help out until eventually, he passed away in his fight. Looking for direction and purpose, I decided that I wanted to own my own place and be my own entrepreneur. I began brewing beer in my apartment, backyard and seeking help at smaller breweries. After gathering as much knowledge and networking, I put in the work to apply for a small business loan with all that I have learned working at the coffee shop. With many mistakes made and with lots of malice and grinding, we made it to open in October of 2018. I named the brewery “Cloven Hoof Brewing Co.” to honor my brother. This was the name of my first band that we came up with in our home when I was only 16 recording on our computer microphone. As big as a metalheads as we are, the name fit perfectly reflecting not only the honor of my brother but our new continued passage. Working on a 1-barrel system for over 4 years now, we have found a way on this system to meet the demand we carry. We are proud to carry 10-12 beers on draft brewed extremely nano. Our growth has been immense and we love to support our local community and always do yearly donations to the hospice that helped my brother. Our key to success was keeping our head down, working hard, and delivering the best product with our own creativity and originality. This October will be our 5th year and we are looking to expand sometime in the future.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We had to go through covid, which for any business owner was not smooth while it happened. In reflection, we persevered and did everything we had to do to come out with positive numbers through that time. We delivered beer, opened for takeout only, and did every little possible thing out there to continue.
We started off with 3 2-barrel fermenters which we found out quick could only make so many turns, but with our founders’ club we found a way to add more production. We brew about a month head to maintain our keg inventory and have recently taken on around 6 wholesale accounts in town. Sometimes we do brew up to 8-10 beers a week which is abnormal for most but we do what it takes.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m proud of what we have added to our community for our residents to enjoy and every proud creation we set on the table for someone to enjoy. We have top-notch quality control and are always looking to learn and grow. I am proud of the people who made this possible outside of myself like our head brewer Joe DeDomenic and manager Allie Dioneff. We have 2 other great employees working the bar for us named Matt Loefell and Will Sullivan. We push the standards on music as far as heavy metal here and hold a very fun aesthetic that’s clean, safe, modern, yet edgy and fun. We work together to meet these needs so that we can not only have the best bar for people to come and enjoy but a fun and safe work environment.
I am also a heavy metal musician in the current bands Scorched from Delaware, and Cleansing Humanity out of Ashtabula, Ohio. It’s my secondary passion when I have time.
What’s next?
We are looking to start possibly starting to can our own beer in the near future. This along with wholesale growth in a couple years could lead to the building of a bigger brewery or another possible location. We have all the numbers ready and lots of information prepared but also do not want to rush and make sure when we do it, it’s the right time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clovenhoofbrewing.com
- Instagram: clovenhoofbrewing
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clovenhoofashtabula/
