Vista-based Barrel Harbor Brewing opened in 2013 with a 10-barrel brewing system owner Tim St. Martin hoped would allow the company to produce enough beer to compete on store shelves and at hospitality venues throughout San Diego County. Over the past half-decade, he has been made all too aware that shelf, cooler and tap space, though plentiful, is finite, and that larger breweries have an easier path to entry with all three. But he still believes in his beers, rather than throw in the towel, he is seeking investment in the company via an active fundraising campaign on the Wefunder website.
St. Martin’s stated goal is between $100,000 and $250,000. According to the campaign page, those funds will be used to increase marketing efforts to raise brand awareness, establish robust canning capabilities, and build an extensive sales and distribution team. While Barrel Harbor beers are available in dozens of local bars and restaurants, the company sells most of its product through a pair of tasting rooms—one at its Vista production facility and another that shares branding with a tabletop gaming interest in Miramar. The latter opened in January of 2017 and has always operated at a loss. The former, and the company as a whole, is also operating at a loss, necessitating the pursuit of additional funding and generation of a sales-and-marketing strategy.
When listing the positives of his brewery, St. Martin is particularly bullish on his Belgian-style dark strong ale, Rungnir, which won a gold medal at the 2017 San Diego International Beer Festival. It’s one of four medals the company has won in four years, which St. Martin touts at Wefunder, though they are not of the stature of awards issued at the Great American Beer Festival or World Beer Cup, which are highly recognized and typically cited as proof of exceptional brewing prowess. Despite the success of Rungnir, St. Martin says he doesn’t want to further build the company’s reputation on the back of a single beer, but rather offer a variety of beers; something for everyone. Barrel Harbor’s total revenue for 2017 was just over $709,000. St. Martin has control over enough square-footage that he can still increase production, and hopes to do so year over year.