Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew & Lauren Marburger.
Hi Andrew & Lauren, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
We fell in love with the brewing industry while we were dating. We were drawn to the vibe of the taprooms we visited, the way people seemed to just enjoy themselves while sharing a pint. We loved the creativity that the brewers were able to express, and the collaboration and camaraderie we saw between businesses that would otherwise be considered competitors.
While we dove into craft beer, Andrew began homebrewing, and eventually quit his job and became an assistant brewer at Millersburg Brewing Company under Brewmaster Marty Lindon. After years of planning, the sale of our house for a downpayment on a business loan, and help from some family and friends, the dream of owning our own brewery became a reality.
After looking at larger markets near us, we decided to open the brewery in our small hometown of Bolivar, Ohio. We were passionate about the area and all that it has to offer, and thought we could add to it. Lockport became Tuscarawas County’s first brewery in over 65 years. The name “Lockport” comes from the “Old Lockport Lager”, brewed by the local New Philadelphia Brewing Company before prohibition. We adopted the name to honor the rich brewing history of the area, with an ode to the locks and canals that pass through our community.
After opening our doors in November 2016, we quickly learned that thanks to the support of the community, we were undersized for the demand we were experiencing. We added more fermenters and immediately maxed out our production capability. We decided to expand, purchasing a defunct restaurant across the street, located directly adjacent to the Wilkshire Golf Course. Renovations began in 2018 and we relocated our operation in July 2019, quadrupling our production capacity, expanding our seating, and adding a full food menu, as well as an outdoor covered deck and beer garden.
Along the way, our brews have won five medals. Gateway Cream Ale, our flagship light ale, has won a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival, and a Gold and Bronze at the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup. Our Kolsch German Ale won Gold at the Ohio Craft Brewers Cup, and Ruckus IPA won silver.
We are proud to currently employ 25 people who work hard every day to bring the Lockport experience to our community.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think we have met an entrepreneur that feels like the process of starting their business was all rainbows and lollipops, and our experience was no different! We didn’t know what we didn’t know when starting out, and had a lot of learning to do as we went along. We were also undercapitalized, so many things were a struggle in the beginning.
It sounds cliché, but there was definitely a lot of blood, sweat, and tears over the years! I specifically remember a time when we trying to get open, we had drained all of our savings, maxed out credit cards, drew on all our credit, and were faced with an unexpected, massive HVAC expense. Lauren sat on a five gallon bucket in the middle of our halfway renovated taproom and cried. We figured it out, but not without some pain along the way!
We are so thankful for the family, friends, and members of our crew that have helped build Lockport in those early days when everything was new, exhilarating, and terrifying!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Our mission is to use our craft to make our corner of the world a better place. We do that by being laser-focused on every facet of our business that comprises the customer experience. Making great beer and delicious food is critically important, and a lot of great places do exactly that, but the experience of our customers is how we measure our success or failure. We work hard to ensure the vibe at our brewery is always lively, fun, friendly, and delicious.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
From a business standpoint, we try to think of Covid-19 as something that will make us stronger as an organization in the end. We had moved to our new taproom in July 2019, and just when we were hitting our stride, our business was forced to shut down. For all the planning we did in our business to prepare for worst case scenarios, a global pandemic had never been on the list.
Over the last few years we’ve dealt with massive raw material price increases, labor shortages, forced shut downs and other regulations, not to mention the physical and mental strain the pandemic has forced on us all. We’re certain we haven’t seen the last of the long term ramifications. But we have also seen our community come out every day to buy to go beer from our makeshift drive through. Customers have rolled with all the changes to our business model to accommodate social distancing rules and being short staffed. More than anything, we have seen the grit and flexibility of our crew as they adjust to changes almost daily to help keep Lockport not just going, but also growing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lockportbeer.com
- Instagram: @lockportbrewery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lockportbeer
