This YouTube testimonial features Jeff (CSO) and Jennifer Herbert (CEO), founders of Superstition Meadery, describing their evolution from homebrewing (a Father's Day gift) into a commercial meadery. They describe producing mead using Arizona honey, releasing ~200 products over seven years, operating a tasting room on Prescott's historic courthouse square, exporting to 36 countries, and strategic growth supported by multiple SBA loans (including acquiring 1 acre for a production facility, equipment financing, and purchasing a National Historic Registry building in downtown Phoenix for a mead/food-pairing restaurant). Speakers from the SBDC (Gerri Deniston) and other partners highlight the company's measured growth (from 2 people in 2012 to ~22–25 employees) and local tourism/economic impact.
Questions this video answers
About 200 products released over seven years.
36 countries.
One acre of commercial property (for a production facility).
Approximately 22–25 employees.
Prescott's historic courthouse square.
Chapters
I'm Jeff Herbert and I'm the CSO at Superstition Meadery.
And I'm Jennifer Herbert and I'm the CEO of Superstition Meadery. Superstition Meadery began when I bought Jeff a homebrew kit for Father's Day.
We decided to take this crazy hobby I got into and turn it into a company. So we sold our house, we moved to Prescott to raise our kids, and the rest is history.
And as you can see behind us, we've got lots of barrels and we make wine made from honey, also known as Mead. It's the world's oldest fermented beverage.
Arizona honey, in the case of Superstition Meadery is exactly what we use in all of our mead products. But we can also use any other fruit, herb or spice or barrel to make that product unique and interesting. And so we've made 200 products that have been released in seven years. Since we started our company. The SBA has helped connect us with the different government resources that we need to acquire the funding to grow our company. Our first loan through the SBA allowed us to acquire an acre of commercial property and to design and build a state of the art production facility to make our products. Our second loan through the SBA allowed us to acquire the equipment that we needed to take what we were doing from extreme home brewing to a very professional level.
We're one of 10 SBDC centers in the state of Arizona. And our entire mission is to work with small business owners to help them start, grow and expand their businesses.
Being named the Small Business Person of the Year would be the greatest thing that we could achieve as a business. And I think it means a lot for our company, our staff, and the Mead industry as a whole.
And we couldn't have done it alone without the support of the SBA and our advisors and other people in our small mead making community, as well as.
Our tasting room is on Prescott's historic courthouse square.
So as you come down the stairs, you kind of get into this quiet, easy space. Little like a speakeasy.
Jeff and Jen are awesome to work with. They're always trying to move forward and push the boundaries on products and on distribution and on our markets. I've watched this company start just in this basement and we got a huge production facility and we're starting to distribute all over the world. My hope for the future of the company is true world Mead Dom. The great thing about Jeff and Jen is they are a couple and so their dynamic together is very cohesive.
They work together very well, Superstition Meadery really has enhanced tourism in our city, and they really are a destination for many of the folks that come to town. There's a true sense of excellence and quality with what they do. They're very meticulous about their business, making sure that everything is done precisely. And I love the drive, determination and persistence they've shown to get where they are today.
The SBA has helped us grow. Now you can actually get our products in 36 countries. None of our export success would have been possible without working hand in hand with the SBA and some great banks along the way. Our third and most recent SBA loan was to acquire property in downtown Phoenix. And we've purchased a building that's on the National Historic Registry and that will allow us to open the world's first meat and food pairing restaurant.
One thing that's special about Jen and Jeff and how they've been managing their business is they've been very strategic about the growth. And that was what struck me as they have grown from just the two person operation in 2012 to now 22 to 25 employees.
We've been working with Gerri Deniston and she's been a great supporter of us. She's very excited about our small business.
We've become more friends than just business culture colleagues over the course of working together, which is part of what happens as we work with small business owners. They tell us their life stories and so we become more of a personal life coach frequently rather than just a business consultant. That's part of what makes this job really rewarding.
We're really happy that we got to be connected to the SBA through working with a small business development center. I would encourage anyone that has a small business that wants to grow in that way to go and seek out your options. With a good bank and the sba, you're getting support.
They point you in the right direction and advise you on how quickly you should grow should you expand. Is this a great idea? They review your business plans and your business models and get you into a sustainable place before you really start to expand.
The future of Superstition Meadery is going to involve growing our production capacity. And by expanding our production, we're going to be able to reach potentially all 50 states and several more international markets.
I would like to thank the SBA for believing in us and allowing us the opportunity to grow and share our vision with the rest of the world. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. So thank you.
