Elevating their craft: BrewBilt Manufacturing’s evolution in the world of craft breweries – The Union of Grass Valley

Jef Lewis developed an appreciation for craft beer at an early age. When he was 20 still too young to get into bars his girlfriend bought him a home brew kit, and he quickly got to work rearranging his Portland garage.

Making beer was fun and adventurous, he said. The process would take a couple of weeks. There was always the anticipation of the final product. Sometimes it would turn out horrible, but wed drink it anyway.

Lewis quickly discovered that quality home brewing equipment was hard to come by in the late 1990s. Having worked as a welder, he realized that instead of buying expensive pots at a department store, he could build his own. Eventually friends who were also home brewers began to ask him to make their pots and word of Lewis welding skills began to spread. Thats when his first big job materialized: a local brewery. From that point on, making brewery equipment became a solid side job while he continued to work full time at a Portland welding shop.

Then, the economic crash of 2008 happened. Lewis, along with 21 of his fellow employees, were all laid off in a single day.

My wife and I had a 1-month-old baby, a 2-year-old boy, and I had no job, he said. No one was hiring.

Suddenly forced to work exclusively out of his garage, Lewis tried to scrape up more welding jobs where he could. Advertising on Craigslist, hed take on any project, such as fixing an old lamp, as well as maintaining sporadic small local brewery jobs as he tried to make enough to pay the mounting bills.

But piecing together the small jobs wasnt cutting it then I had a vision, he said. What if I started a business focusing exclusively on building brewery equipment putting all of my energy into this one thing?

Despite the fact that breweries were rapidly multiplying in Portland, Lewis knew he was a relative unknown and would have to hustle. He got in his car and began knocking on brewery doors. He knew he had the expertise he just needed a foot in the door. His efforts slowly began to pay off.

It was just me in my shop taking in small jobs, he said. Then a couple of larger welding shops gave me overflow work from larger commercial breweries and that really got the ball rolling.

Lewis and his wife, Erin, finally had a more steady income, but eventually they grew tired of the relentless rain of the Pacific Northwest. Both native Californians, they felt as if their children were spending the bulk of their lives indoors. Having spent much of his youth in Nevada County, Lewis was eager to bring his family back home.

In 2012, the couple rented a too-small home on North Bloomfield in Nevada City with one key ingredient: a 2,400-foot shop. Lewis took a temporary job with a local welding company while simultaneously getting his own new brewery business, BrewBilt Manufacturing, Inc., off the ground in an unfamiliar business territory.

I hit the road, again started knocking on doors, cold calling, hustling and picking up small jobs anything I could, he said. It was like starting all over again.

Then, he landed first large job: Ol Republic Brewery in Nevada City ordered 12 BrewBilt fermenters. It was a $150,000 job. Although the brewery is now closed, one of Ol Republics craft brews went on to win the winner-take-all Best of Show competition at the California State Fair. Their brewing process attracted the attention of other brewers. BrewBilt was off and running.

Today, BrewBilt builds equipment for high-end breweries all over the United States from its 8,000-square-foot Spring Hill Drive warehouse in Grass Valley. This year, the crew of 18 employees is building a system for a brewery in Finland, their first international job. Average orders fall between $350,000 and $500,000, but Lewis says orders can range from a $1,500 part to a million-dollar invoice.

With breweries rapidly multiplying and expanding around the country, more companies are doing what BrewBilt does. So why do high end establishments continue to seek them out? Lewis thinks it all stems from his welding skills and aesthetic (Theyre not just utilitarian parts, he says. Theyre beautiful). But it also extends to his obsession with designing and building the finest craft brewing equipment on the market. His equipment is made in the U.S., only with American-made 304 stainless steel. And the manufacturing takes place right in his home town. They also offer a six-year warranty, the longest in the business, said Lewis, who is confident equipment will last much longer.

We know from experience that realizing a brewers dream takes passion, determination, and a good partner, said Lewis. We can be with the customer every step of the way from concept to opening. Well work with bankers on financing solutions and with architects and contractors on equipment layout all the way through to scheduling, logistics and ongoing project management.

The BrewBilt crew is there when the equipment is loaded onto semi-trucks and they accompany the load to its destination, where they help with installation, working with construction crews, contractors, electricians, plumbers and of course, the brewers themselves.

We do a lot of custom work, said Lewis. These arent cookie-cutter parts. We take into consideration a customers needs, wants, location, temperature and the building itself. Once its up and running, we are also a part of ongoing maintenance.

Locally, BrewBilts equipment can be found at Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Co. in Nevada City, the Bullmastiff Brewery in Penn Valley, as well as the Grass Valley Brewing Co. and the 1849 Brewing Co., both in Grass Valley.

So if BrewBilt knows so much about beer, why arent they brewing their own? As it turns out, they are. BrewBilt Brewing Company is now in its preliminary stages, brewing test batches from its Spring Hill Drive location and filing permits for construction.

We decided it was time to do something weve always wanted to do, said Lewis. Well have our own IPA, lagers and stouts. Well do contract brewing with other breweries and beers for local hotels and restaurants that want their own private label. Its exciting.

Under the supervision of Bennett Buchanan, the companys head of sales and marketing, the brewery is expected to fire up in February, along with the hiring of new staff. And if that isnt exciting enough, plans are also in the works for the opening of their very own pub, said Lewis, who is exploring various locations and recently met with the city of Grass Valley about the expansion.

Lewis sons are now 12 and 14 so much has changed since the day he first learned he was laid off from that Portland welding shop and was unsure of his next paycheck.

Theres so much to be grateful for Ive been doing this long enough that I feel as though I have a lot of knowledge to share, said Lewis. Im extremely proud of our crew and the business culture weve built. Id rather train a good person than hire an expert whos not a good team member. I live there everyday, so we like to make it fun. We barbecue on Fridays. It feels good to be bringing in new money to our community from around the world. Working with brewers and seeing them win awards is also a high point. They tend to be very down-to-earth people. Oh, and the best part? I get a lot of free beer.

To contact Staff Writer Cory Fisher, email her at Cory@theunion.com

Read the rest here:

Elevating their craft: BrewBilt Manufacturing's evolution in the world of craft breweries - The Union of Grass Valley