Inspiring Conversations with Andrew Thomas of Starving Artist Brewing Co

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Thomas.

Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Starving Artist Brewing Co. was founded in 2014 and opened its doors for business in June of 2015. My wife Michelle and I owned an art gallery (hence the “Starving Artist”) in downtown Ludington for nearly a decade before deciding it was no longer where we wanted to be. I was an avid home brewer and craft beer enthusiast. While considering our exit options for the gallery, my wife suggested opening a small micro brewery in our barn behind our house. After all, it’s every home brewer’s dream. The condensed version of the story is that we set some goals before it could come close to being considered feasible. We made lists, checked boxes, secured zoning requirements and financing, and we were off.

Shortly after opening, we entered the Momentum Business Plan Competition. This event was offered through a partnership of our Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, and philanthropists. Since our business plan was still hot off the press, we cleaned it up a bit and entered it for consideration. Happy to say that Starving Artist Brewing was the first recipient of the competition’s $50K award. This allowed us to take our early growth plans and implement them in our first few months of business

Our first few years were production only. Customers could visit the brewery and partake in samples that we still refer to as “Tiny Cups,” and to-go options were available. Our main focus was providing the western half of the Lower Peninsula with our beers. The original concept was to brew true-to-style, sessionable ales (classic styles with low alcohol percentages). The idea of fruit or other adjuncts in our recipes was appalling. To say we’ve come a long way from that thought process is by no means a stretch. We’re known for our crazy, high ABV recipes.

In 2019, after a little tussle with the local government, we opened a new patio area to the public where they could enjoy pints at the barn. At this point, we decided that it was best to pull back on distribution and focus on the retail side of the brewery.

Many things were planned, and many things weren’t. One of my favorite things about our business was spontanious and unplanned. It is very hard to come to Starving Artist and keep to yourself. Whether it is staff or patrons, it is likely you are going to meet a stranger and strike up a conversation. There have been many small world stories that have happened as a result. Many long-time friendships were kindled. All over a beer.

Jumping to now, more or less, nothing has changed. Covid presented its challenges as it did every other small business. We have just recently opened two new beer gardens with an upcoming outdoor bar. And we are on target to have food options on weekends for the busy season.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think you would be hard-pressed to find a small business owner who tells you it’s been a smooth road. If you find that individual, you can be certain that person is a liar. There are struggles every day. Especially in a state that relies heavily on tourism. For us, we have a few months of insane business annually. Then a few months of busy, then a few months of hoping we make it to insane again. That’s small business in a tourist town. It forces you to constantly come up with new and exciting ways to keep your doors open.
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We also had a real struggle with zoning. Our local government unanimously approved our production-only brewery. When we asked to start serving pints, it was a multi-month battle. Fortunately, we are on the other side of that.

There are always speed bumps along the way. Equipment will break, bad batches will have to be dumped, approvals will take ten times longer than you planned. I have been self-employed nearly my entire adult life, and I can’t tell you one time it’s been easy. But I can tell you there is nothing I’d rather be doing.

We’ve been impressed with Starving Artist Brewing Co, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Starving Artist is a small brewery located in a barn in our backyard. This setting provides a laid-back atmosphere that lends itself more towards a social gathering place vs a traditional bar or restaurant. We’ve often been told that the vibe is that of crashing someone’s family reunion or backyard barbeque. We are known for excessively bold flavors and wild recipes. If we tell you there’s pineapple in it, there will be no question that there is pineapple in it.

We take pride that every customer who stops by will be well taken care of. There’s a sign at the door that states, “There will be a 20-minute wait whether you are the only customer or not.” Once you make it to the window, you will get your time. Time to sample the beers and see how you’re doing. Everyone knows that Andy likes to talk A LOT.

The biggest thing that sets us apart from other breweries (other than the most obvious, that it’s a brewery in a barn behind a farmhouse) is that our atmosphere nearly forces you to be a part of the group. Once you have your beer, it won’t be long before someone asks where you’re from or what brought you to this weird little barn in the middle of nowhere. It is nearly impossible to come to Starving Artist, pull up a beer barrel, and mind your own business. This is truly our favorite thing about the brewery.

We are proud that we have a reputation of making high quality liquids. It’s probably the only thing we take extremely seriously. There are a lot of things that are important to us, but great tasting beer takes the number one spot. If we don’t think it’s good, you will never get to taste it.

The barn is a neutral place. Freaks and geeks are welcome. Our slogan is “Judge Beer, Not People”. Starving Artist is a come-as-you-are location. We don’t care about your politics, we don’t care about your religion. What we do care about is that you took time out of your day to come find us and trade your hard-earned dollars for one of our beers. That makes us feel all the feels. Beer is still one of the great equalizers. It’s still a reason to gather together in person. We are fortunate to belong to an industry like this. An industry that believes in the mantra “Collaborate, don’t compete.”

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
An overwhelming respect for the industry that I am lucky enough to be a part of. In the beginning, I had the goal to build a brewery that would impress the brewers. There are breweries out there that built this industry by putting everything on the line. We got to buy in with an educated risk. I felt that if we could successfully do that, the rest should fall in place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.starvingartist.beer
• Instagram: @starvingartistbeer
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/starvingartistbeer