Crombacher Brewery pours craft beer for a cause.
Webster’s Dictionary defines “win-win” as “advantageous or satisfactory to all parties involved.” Perhaps “drink beer and fund charities” might be a better definition. It’s a model that’s been embraced by Reno brothers-in-law Tim Trefts and Spencer Grundmann and father Harry Grundmann, with their Crombacher Brewery USA in Reno.
Combine a love of the Special Olympics, a passion for craft beers, and a family history of brewing that dates back to 1890s Germany, and you end up with a special event mobile beer trailer that promotes local craft brewers and gives 100 percent of the profits to charity.
Have Kegs, Will Travel
“Crombacher USA came from a lot of ideas Harry and I tossed around,” Trefts says. “We wanted to do something community based. Our initial thought was to open an actual brewery, but the costs and expertise required were pretty high. We saw a brewery guide kiosk in the Nashville airport, and it pushed all the right buttons for what we were able to do as a start-up.”
The concept was simple and elegant: Set up the trailer for several different kegs; have local brewers donate or provide kegs at reduced cost. Bins are designated for three charities, and for each beer a customer buys, he or she gets a token to drop into the bin for the charity of their choice, and at the end of the day, Crombacher splits the profits accordingly among the three charities. While customers enjoy their brews, they can watch videos from local breweries and peruse a map of the same.
“We’ve been working with the Reno-Tahoe airport for a couple of setup locations,” Trefts says. “There’s around 4 million people coming through the airport a year, and this would be a great location to promote local charities and breweries. Until we’ve got that nailed down, we have been using the trailer for private and public functions, which has let us iron out some of the things that always pop up when you start a new business.”
That included selecting which charities to work with.
“We decided we wanted similar charities each quarter to partner with, and that we would rotate them quarterly,” Trefts says. “One quarter might be (devoted to) three special needs charities, and another quarter might be veteran related. The ideas come from family and friends, and then we reach out to the different organizations.”
The operation is comprised of all unpaid volunteers — family members, including Harry’s son Spencer, and friends who are willing to donate their time and are driven by a comment Harry made at his retirement:
“I just spent 30 years working for myself and my family (in finance and real estate). For the next 30, I’m going to work for other folks.”
The Crombacher USA beer trailer is available upon request for special events. For details, visit Crombacherusa.org or find Crombacher USA on Facebook.
Writer Kurt Bickel resides in Arrowcreek. He limits his beer drinking to months that start with vowels.
