Westchester Man Pitches New Business to You

A former employee of Croton-on-Hudson's Green Growler Grocery wants to start a new business in Hastings-on-Hudson. He's using international crowdfunding platform Indiegogo to help fund the business. Here is entrepreneur William Bird's pitch:

Hello, I am William Bird, the creator of The Green Growler Grocery located in Croton-on-Hudson, NY (www.thegreengrowler.com) and I am looking to start up another business of a similar nature.  

The Green Growler is now in it's second year of operation.  It is a craft beer / home brew store.  It has sales of $250,000+.  It is a welcome addition to the town and receives the support of many residents.  The Green Growler provides community support to many charities and community endeavors and has over 750 likes on Facebook and over 500 people on it's email list. You can see me and the store here: http://ossining.patch.com/articles/green-growle...

The new project will be similar to the Green Growler.  It will be a craft beer / home brew store and possibly a cafe with a select menu.  This store will be at the forefront of the craft beer revolution and get many hard to find craft beers as well as many beers from local breweries!  We will also try to retail products from local artisans and locally sourced food products.

The town where this will hope to open has just been dubbed the ''new Brooklyn" by the New York Times.  It is the town I grew up in.  It is in need of a shot in the arm for the new influx of affluent young professionals who have recently moved to the suburbs from New York City.  This new project will not only be a welcome addition to the town but will provide events for the residents as well as support for many community endeavors.  I look forward to playing a part in the rejuvenation of the town.

I am sure this project will be a success just as The Green Growler is, but even more so, as I have learned from my past experience as to what works and what doesn't.  In the past couple of years the growler idea has grown.  In NYC alone there are over 50 growler-fill stores and more being added every month.  I plan on having at least one other business partner, most likely a village resident and/or business owner, to work on this with him.   I believe that we will need about $50,000 to get this up and running.

Craft beer has grown over 10% in each of the past two years.  Between 2010 and 2012 over 400 breweries have opened in the United States.  In the lower Hudson Valley Rushing Duck Brewing, Peekskill Brewery, Yonkers Brewery, and Captain Lawrence Brewing have opened in the past few years.  People are tired of the same old bland beer they have been drinking and just as wine has become something of a trend, even more so has beer.  Why?  Because there are more flavors in beer because you are not limited by just grapes.  There are hundreds of different types of hops, malts and yeast strains as well as adjuncts one can use in making beer which makes it so intriguing to the average beer consumer.

In the past two years I have been immersed in the growing craft beer revolution.  I have business relationship with the majority of breweries as well as a strong following as a craft beer guru in Westchester county.  With my knowledge and contacts this project is sure to hit the ground running.

If you have questions or would like more information please contact me at (862) 245-BEER or oiseau777@gmail.com

Here is the link for the new business: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/362622/emal/2720233