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May 14, 2017Our series “Meet your Florida Business Owners” continues with one of the best at what they do, “Wynwood Brewing Company”, yes that famous Brewery that has been featured on “Brew Dogs” from Esquire Channel, and that everybody loves to go in South Florida. Meet Luis Brignoni, owner of Wynwood Brewery Company.
Luis G. Brignoni, Founder
- Q. What is your name and where are you from?
A. My name is Luis Brignoni and I was born in Puerto Rico. I moved around a lot while young, living in Michigan, NJ, PA, Orlando and finally settling in Miami. I came to FIU where I studied International Business. That is where I met my wife and the rest as they say is history.
Our beloved neighborhood is known as the Wynwood Arts District. We are located just north of downtown Miami in an area that was traditionally a garment factory district. In addition, Wynwood is also known as the Puerto Rican Barrio due to the settlement of large Puerto Rican families during the 70’s and 80’s. After the garment factories left the area many of the warehouses were abandoned and were littered with graffiti. Starting in the early 2000’s many artists began to paint remarkable pieces. Since then, we’ve seen galleries and some of the worlds best street artists paint phenomenal murals. Everyday you see someone with a spray paint can in hand ready to create a work of art. It’s truly a magnificent neighborhood to be a part of.
Luis C. Brignoni, Co-founder & Official Quality Manager
We decided to come to Wynwood for several reasons. We are truly passionate about our craft and felt that aligning ourselves with such a neighborhood would let folks know that this is very much a craft beer. Every beer is brewed with love and passion to ultimately create a work of art in every glass. In addition this is a family owned company, a Puerto Rican family. As a family we felt we needed to come to this neighborhood and help create jobs to the local folks and support our community.
- Q. Can you talk about that one defining moment when you knew you wanted to be a Business Owner?
A. While I was at FIU, I helped a fellow student start a company. Soon after, he brought me on as a partner. It was then that I realized that I couldn’t work for anyone else. I enjoy the stress, the thrills, the ups and downs (more so the ups) and the passion that goes into creating something.
- Q. In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of starting your own business?
A. The most difficult part in the beginning is the cash flow and finding good people. Once you get some consistent cash flow, it becomes a new set of problems. Hiring key folks, growing the company, finding more capital for growth. It never ends.
- Q. What challenges have you had to face as an entrepreneur?
A. Financing was the first big challenge. Now, it’s expanding and getting more financing. It’s a continuous process.
- Q. How did you overcome those challenges?
A. When we first started, we put some money in and then continued to knock the door of about 50 banks. Finally, we landed on one that believed in our project and decided to loan us the rest of the money. Today, we are doing the same thing. We need to expand, and so we are looking at banks to help us expand and get us to where we need to be.
Meet the Team
- Q. What advice would you give to kids today who look up to you as an inspiration?
A. Be passionate about what you do, be persistent in what you want to accomplish and smile. Working hard is a good feeling, and we should be happy about the small successes along the way.
- Q. What kind of influence does your Website and Social Media have in relation to your company’s success?
A. Our social media plays a big part in our company’s success. It’s a great way to make announcements and engage our customers. It’s very personable in a world that is increasingly private.
- Q. How do you make your beer?
A. We brew our beers in a 15-Barrel two-vessel system. One barrel is equal to 31 US gallons. At any given time we can brew about 500 gallons of wort. We then put the wort, or young beer, in our 15 or 30 barrel fermenters. Once the beer is fermented, we then condition and package. Our brands take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to be finished. However, we do have some barrel aged products that take up to 9 months to be completed.
We only use premium products in all of our beers. We procure the best malts from the US as our base malt and British and German Malts for our caramel malts. We seek the finest hops from the US, England, Germany, New Zealand and Czech Republic. At WBCO, we put our own unique interpretation of traditional styles with character and boldness.
By Florida Shopping Guide