John and Jessica Paul left Lafayette in 2002. They followed their love of beer back to the town where they met in two years ago in order to give Lafayette a taste of the beer culture they have experienced in their travels all over the country. “.. we (wanted to) create a space we grew to love other places and bring it home for everybody to share in our community.” John and Jessica are turning to the Lafayette community to raise funds through Kickstarter.com for Sawbriar Brewery, the first taproom-only microbrewery in the city.
Funding is the first major obstacle to getting any business off the ground, but it is never an easy task. Sites like Kickstarter.com have allowed businesses to become more innovative in their fundraising tactics and allow people to actively participate in the growth of their local community. In line with Kickstarter.com guidelines, Sawbriar Brewery has a set number of days to raise all the funds, or the project receives nothing. Sawbriar Brewery has a 30-day fundraising window, from start to finish. If the allotted funds ($25,000) aren’t raised before June 30th, all pledges are cancelled.
Lafayette Public Trust Financing Authority has partnered with Sawbriar Brewery to renovate a derelict warehouse. The money raised by the Kickstarter campaign will go towards brewing equipment, as well as finishing out the bar and restrooms of the taproom. The taproom will be located at 124 South Buchanan Street, in the historic LaPlace neighborhood, one block from downtown Lafayette.
Many of the backer rewards for the Kickstarter campaign focus on providing opportunities for the Lafayette community and supporters of the brewery to make Sawbriar their own. Backers can name beer tanks and dedicate tables or pieces of the bar to someone special. With the looming restroom renovation in mind, one of the options in the backer rewards is to Adopt-a-Toilet. Each toilet will get a dedication plaque displayed prominently over it. Who would you dedicate a toilet to?
Sawbriar Brewery will feature a frequently changing tap selection of small batch, handcrafted beers brewed with local ingredients in a wide variety of styles. If the brewery is successfully funded, the Pauls expect to open before the end of the year. To learn more about the brewery, readers can visit the project’s pitch page here: http://bit.ly/sawbriar
About John and Jessica Paul:
Both John and Jessica are Louisiana natives that fell in love with each other and Lafayette while in college at UL Lafayette. They attempt to balance raising their family with their other passions.Jessica Paul is an accomplished educator and volunteer Director of Education and Outreach for the Museum of Science Fiction in Washington D.C. John Paul is an Army veteran and award winning home brewer.
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