Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | March 7, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 9 then 2022 will be the year of supply chain disruptions, said Watson. "It costs more and takes longer to get almost anything these days, and there are a whole bunch of reasons for that," he said. Breweries face the difficult choice of either raising costs and risk losing customers, or taking the hit and reducing profit margins. Despite the obstacles, Watson is bullish on the industry's future. "My optimism is still based on the fact that there is clearly still strong consumer demand for flavorful, locally brewed beer. We have seen the brewery sales bounce back strongly, and for most breweries that is the most important financial engine for their business," Watson said. e Brewers Association is pushing for the replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund to provide federal assistance for bars, breweries, and restaurants. Established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, RRF was a $28.6-billion federal relief fund to help businesses stay open, but it closed in October aer running out of money. "e fund ran out of money with many people having applied but not getting any money, and we think: A) at is wrong because it picks winners and losers. Some people got money and others didn't; and B) we just think that this is a program that is important to help the nation's small hospitality businesses get back on their feet," Watson said. Breaking the mold While nationally breweries were struggling to survive, Milk Room and the Rapscallion line of restaurants and pubs are opportunistically expanding. Purchased by twin brothers Cedric and Peter Daniels in 2007, Rapscallion has grown to encompass Rapscallion Pub in Sturbridge, Rapscallion Brewery & Taproom in Spencer, Rapscallion Table & Tap in Acton, and Rapscallion Kitchen & Bar in Concord. Founded on family values and a strong connection to community, Cedric and Peter believe in a slow and steady business plan. Oentimes their thoughtful business choices were surpassed by more glamorous brewery startups investing in the latest trends, yet in the process gathered substantial debt. Meanwhile, Cedric said the company's patient moves and focus on simply making quality beer enabled Rapscallion to survive the financial toll of the lockdowns. e lack of debt and multiple investors allowed them to quickly pivot as a team. When COVID first struck, the Daniels family was determined not to layoff any workers in their four locations. Even when their regular staff could not fulfill their hospitality jobs due to lockdowns, the brothers still managed to keep employees on payroll by doing everything from upholdersting furniture and painting, to hand-pouring growler cans to fulfill to-go orders. "at's the beauty of this company; we are all very creative and adaptable," Cedric said. Rapscallion's adaptability was repeatedly put to the test, he said. Aer being unable to meet the state- mandated food requirements for the pandemic at Rapscallion Pub, the management decided to temporarily close its Sturbridge location and renovate the two-level building to include a kitchen and lounge. Rapscallion then refocused its efforts on creating a new production facility, Rapscallion Brewery & Taproom in Spencer, which enabled the company to shi to a package product model by offering cans, further expanding its operations. During the peak of the pandemic, community members offered to give donations to Rapscallion and purposefully ordered more to-go meals to help them stay afloat. Cedric was so touched by the generosity of these customers he developed the Heritage Club, a lifetime Rapscallion mug club membership, to give to them in return. Cedric said breweries with a strong foundation, a sense of identity, and rich community ties will be able to overcome industry challenges better than establishments focused on the bottom line. "You have to be true to who you are. You cannot be that trendy, flash- in-the-pan brewery; otherwise you won't survive. Why grow for the sake of growing if you are not going to help the community that helped get you where you are?" Cedric said. W Emerging WORCESTER Worcester Emerging Webcast Series Returns for 2022! Produced by WBJ Platinum sponsors Gold sponsor Supporting sponsor Lamoureux Pagano Associates | Architects Tuesday, March 22nd | Tuesday, March 29th As we head into 2022 and Worcester's 300th birthday as a city - the interest in investing here has never been greater! Please join us for Part II of this special series highlighting Worcester's growth and positive momentum. We'll deliver a fresh update on the latest projects that are moving ahead, as well as identifying opportunities for growth across industry sectors. Register and find event updates at www.wbjournal.com/worcesteremerging Mass. craft beer, by the numbers Rank nationally No. of breweries 17th Breweries per 100,000 adults 21+ 27th Barrels produced 13th Gallons per adults 21+ 17th Dollars of economic impact 14th Dollars of economic impact, per capita 17th Note: Economic impact figures are from 2019. Other figures are from 2020. Source: Brewers Association Cedric & Peter Daniels, owners Rapscallion Brewery

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