Beltway Brewing Company
Loudoun SBDC first met Sten Sellier, owner of Beltway Brewing Company, in the fall of 2011. At that time, Sten was working on an idea to open a brewery that would be dedicated exclusively to contract brewing, but he was struggling with his business plan. He noticed a flyer in the Loudoun County Clerk’s Office about an upcoming Loudoun SBDC Business Plan Competition. Sten knew the competition was the deadline he needed to get SOMETHING done to obtain validation for his idea.
Sten received validation. He won 1st place in the Local Business Model portion of the competition. In addition to a cash prize and business services package, he also met many community leaders and received all the publicity that went along with winning the competition.
Beltway Brewing Company went on to open in September, 2013, and has not looked back since! As of February 4, 2014, it has brewed 9 different beers, has 5 repeat clients, and has several more client brews scheduled for the coming weeks. That is “proof” of concept.
Sten has continued to work with Loudoun SBDC’s staff and volunteer professional counselors through one-one-one counseling addressing business plan revision, financing and regulatory issues. In Sten’s words, “I owe a great deal of thanks to Loudoun SBDC.” And Loudoun SBDC owes a great deal of thanks to Sten and Beltway Brewing Company for adding jobs and economic impact to Loudoun County.