From a wild art project and “experiment” to start a Jewish celebration microbrew, Shmaltz Brewing Co. has advanced from delivering 100 cases of HE’BREW Beer out of a Volvo to building a brewery in Upstate New York and back to a contract brewing model while combining innovation and “schtick” to expand its brand across 30 states, through 40 wholesalers and in nearly 5,000 retailers.
Founded in 1996 as a 100 percent contract packed venture in San Francisco, Shmaltz Owner and Founder Jeremy Cowan details that his microbrewery started as a whim and an “inside joke” with a group of longtime friends. “I honestly thought it was just fun, funny and delicious to have my own beer and to be able to share it to those who might get a kick out of it,” he explains. “I went to a tiny little brewery in Northern California that made me 100 cases of our first HE’BREW Beer, which we then hand-bottled, hand-labeled and I delivered it by borrowing my grandmother’s Volvo to several accounts in Northern California.