Building the Creative Company
December 20, 2005
When my wife, Kim Jordan, and I founded New Belgium Brewing Company in 1991,
money was tight, so we created a business plan that fit within the budget and
a custom equipment plan that fit within the 211 square feet of basement space
allotted to the venture. We were told that it wouldn’t work. Creativity,
supported with confidence and buffered with a bit of ignorance, was our
greatest asset.
Sixteen months later, we were selling all the beer we could make. So when it
came time to open a second brewing facility, instead of buying all new parts,
I scrounged old dairies for tanks and other stainless steel parts, allowing us
to rapidly increase production volume without compromising product quality.
