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Hog River Brewing Co

Hog River Brewing Co., Ben Braddock

Title / Role: Owner
Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Formed in: 2014
hogriverbrewing.com
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My successes.

My success is following my dream and not letting the negativity and roadblocks get in my way. I encountered hundreds of hurdles through the process and I felt like giving up many times. I knew inside that this is when I needed to dig deep and keep going. I am proud of myself for getting to this point and I look forward to running a successful business. 

We plan to open the doors in August 2016 to the public. 

How SCORE helped.

In 2014, I reached out to SCORE to help me refine my financials because I had a comprehensive business plan in place, but I had no idea how to present financials to the bank for a commercial loan. SCORE helped me put together what I needed and put me in touch with several banks. My SCORE mentor even came with me to my face-to-face meetings with the bank. I secured a loan from the first bank we met with! 

What's great about my mentor?

They are true advocates for success, entrepreneurism, and hard work. They all pulled for me right from the start. Mark Cutler knew exactly what I needed to move forward and put me in touch with his vast list of contacts. Jason Wasserman put my financials in order so could secure a loan and walked me through the entire process of securing a commercial loan. Sean Brookman advised me on legal issues playing an important role in lease negotiation and drafting investor documents. Without the three of them, I feel like I would still be spinning my wheels trying to find the required capital to open my doors. 

How Did Your Business Get Started?

I started out brewing in my kitchen about 10 years ago while working in the insurance industry. I caught the brewing bug and hated my corporate job. My wife convinced me to quit my job. A week later I sold my car and started riding my bike to a volunteer job at the brewery. After 6 months of cleaning kegs and working the loading dock, I worked up to the position of Brewer and I was sent to brewing school at Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. I was off...

My mentors
Headshot of Jason H Wasserman
Jason H Wasserman

Jason’s specialty is financial planning and assisting in the process of securing funding for...

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712 H St NE PMB 98848
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Washington, DC 20002
(800) 634-0245

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