Elgin, OK First Woman and Veteran Owned Brewery

Hi, my name is Angela, and my husband Thom and I are opening up a fundraiser to help open our brewpub in Elgin, OK. 

Why Elgin? The Army brought us to Fort Sill in 2017, and we've decided to stay in Elgin, OK, because we love it here. It's a beautiful place to live, work, and raise a family. Still, we think it's missing something: a community craft beer brewery, a destination for couples to have a romantic evening by the fire or to bring family and friends for a relaxing evening. Breweries have a way of bringing together family, friends and neighbors. They serve as a destination for communities and an attraction for visitors. 

Our Vision: Rising Eagle Brewery will be the first craft beer brewery in the city's history. In addition to brewing excellent craft beer, we'll provide the community and its visitors a destination: somewhere to relax, connect with friends, and enjoy the art and science of craft beer brewing. Imagine a downtown space that offers locally brewed craft beer, live music, gourmet pizzas, handheld sandwiches, a variety of delicatessen charcuterie boards, free wi-fi, and board games. A destination where friends and neighbors can gather without driving for over an hour.

Our Concept: Rising Eagle Brewery will be a ten-barrel brewery located in Elgin’s Industrial strip. Our Golden nectar will be served in our taproom. We will have a woodburning rotating Brick Oven to provide tasty handmade gourmet pizzas, handheld sandwiches, and a variety of charcuterie board accompaniments to our craft brew! A perfect date night environment or place to watch the game locally!

Our Team: Rising Eagle Brewery will be owned and operated by Angela and Thomas Hardin, U.S. Army combat veterans and transplants to Elgin, OK, having served multiple tours, with the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thom is our Head Brewer, there is no question that our superb product quality relies heavily on Thom. Angela serves as the CEO / General and Operations Manager, ensuring customer service and satisfaction. We have more than 46 years of experience in small business operations and management.

Our Products & Services: As a brewery, we will offer a variety of products and services:

· We'll have a variety of craft beers on tap, including an India Pale Ale, New England IPA, Light Ale American Lager, Farmhouse Ale, Kolsch, Saisons and Stouts.

· New to craft beer? Our sampler flight will allow you to taste four of ours.

· Enjoy a pint with us in our taproom and take some home to enjoy later in a 64-ounce growler.

· Our upstairs banquet hall will be available for private gatherings: celebrate your next event with us! Birthdays, rehearsal dinners, hails and farewells, or just because!

· Brewery tasting tours will be offered every Saturday. Go behind the scenes to learn how we brew our beer!

· Show your support! We'll offer t-shirts, hats, stickers and glasses so you can show your friends how much you love our beer.

We are not a bar. Rising Eagle Brewery will be a working brewery. No loud music, no arcade games. Our theme music will be classic rock, modern country and acoustic, our games will be corn hole, horseshoes, pool or checkers, we'll close at 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and the only alcohol we'll serve is our excellent craft beer and wine.

Our Timeline: The next few months will consist of acquiring the property, buildouts, ordering our brewing equipment, filing for federal and state licensing, hiring our staff, brewing our first batches, and preparing for the day when we can invite the community and craft beer lovers near and far into our tasting room. We aim to open our doors and taps next summer for your enjoyment.

How you can help with crowdfunding: Breweries require a significant amount of startup capital based on the equipment and infrastructure needed to make beer. Your support will help us to open our doors on time and on target. If you love craft beer, wish your community had a brewery and would like a fun and friendly space to meet your friends, co-workers, or family for a meal and great beer, please support us! Your pledge, big or small, will make a difference.

Use of Funds: Our primary goal is to raise $310,000, which will be used to acquire the property, begin building, and order our brewing equipment required to operate the brewery and taproom to make it safe and enjoyable for you and your pint. Half of the main floor area will be dedicated to brewing operations, complete with eight 310-gallon American-made stainless steel brewing vessels. The other half will have a tasting counter and seating area where you and a friend can sit and enjoy a flight of craft beer and a variety of food from our kitchen. Our patio will be an expanded seating area with lounge chairs and cafe tables, giving Elgin its very first outdoor Biergarten. This space is intended for customers just looking for a quiet space or groups in need of space for a meeting, party, or social gathering. We will also offer a banquet hall that overlooks the brewery, ready to reserve as needed with intimate seating for couples or small groups. 

Our stretch goal is $375,000, allowing us to complete the outdoor Biergarten with gas fireplaces, pergola, outdoor Adirondack furniture, living foliage and a misting system to keep patrons cool in the hot summer months.

Our high-end goal is $460,000, which will allow us to upgrade to a keg system, add 2 Brite tanks, and integrate a program to age specialty beers in wood barrels right on our brewery floor, the first of its kind in our area. 

Like any other new business, there are risks and challenges but rest assured, we are prepared: 
If our fundraiser campaign is unsuccessful, we'll still make beer. Just not as much. And it'll take longer. And you won't be able to enjoy it in an awesomely constructed space. 

The Market: While brewing craft beer may be new to Elgin, the market is exploding across the United States: According to the Brewers Association, there are now more than 9.000 breweries in the U.S. Success rates for micro-breweries are high: 710 breweries opened last year (that's nearly two new breweries every day!), creating 400,000 jobs, with 140,000 being those directly working at breweries.  Our would-be clientele is the surrounding communities, military members and their families stationed at Fort Sill, just 10 minutes from the town of Elgin. Our customer base would fulfill the needs of the immediate surrounding six counties with a population of roughly 266,717, according to the 2020 census. (2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer)

Planning: As military officers, Thom and I are no strangers to strategic planning. We have left no stone unturned: from the cost of ingredients to the cubic thermos to boil the beer to the brand of toilet paper in the restroom - we've done our homework.

The Team: Our staff will be carefully selected and trained to make your visit to our brewery perfect. As a veteran-owned and-operated brewery, we will pair our professionalism, attention to detail, and work ethic with a national Cicerone (beer server) certification to provide the highest level of service. 

Integration: We will strive to partner with other local businesses to provide entertainment, marketing, and a venue for the entire community to enjoy. We believe in supporting local businesses and will use as many locally sourced ingredients as possible in our beers, menu and merchandise. 

Your Rewards: We've created twenty reward packages to provide various options to pledge your support for Elgin’s first Woman and Veteran Owned and Operated craft beer brewery. The rewards are our way of saying "thank you" for helping make this dream become a reality. It also gives you some pretty sweet apparel and gear to show your support. Beyond that, we hope you enjoy supporting something enjoyable for you, the community and connecting Elgin to the ever-growing craft beer world.

Thank you for your time and support, and we'll see you soon for a pint! Cheers!