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<strong>Siouxland</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> | Inspire / 32<br />
Worth The Wait: The Story of Marto Brewing<br />
By Erik Martin<br />
When one decides to open a small business, the assumption<br />
that the road ahead is a challenging yet worthy path to go<br />
down is likely noted. Most people who make this type of<br />
decision out of passion, loving what they do and wanting to<br />
share it with the world. They’ve probably weighed out the<br />
costs and rewards before deciding to take the initial plunge.<br />
So, it came as no surprise to Marto Brewing owner, Erik<br />
Martin, that even though he knew his passion for brewing<br />
great beer would create a successful business, the road to<br />
get there would force him to learn a lot about business in the<br />
most unlikely of ways, keep him honest when it would have<br />
been easy to just walk away, and the practice of patience to<br />
cross the finish line.<br />
SM: Tell our readers a little bit about Marto Brewing.<br />
Marto Brewing Company is a brewery with a brewpub<br />
attached. We will seat about 100 people inside and over 40<br />
people in our outdoor patio. Our beer will be brewed on<br />
a 10 bbl(barrel)/310 gallon brewing system. We have the<br />
capacity to brew over 1,000 barrels of beer per year. We<br />
will also have an open kitchen concept featuring a Marra<br />
Forni wood fired oven. Customers will be able to watch our<br />
staff craft their food and beer! We will also sell select guest<br />
beers from other breweries, a variety of wines, Stone Bru<br />
Nitro Coffee, Hardline french press coffee and soda.<br />
SM: Becoming a business owner is not for everyone. Tell us<br />
about why you took the leap.<br />
I first decided to write a business plan after my wife said,<br />
“You are spending all this time brewing and spending money<br />
on equipment, you should start a brewery.” It then grew<br />
from there. I became obsessed with making good beer and<br />
trying to perfect recipes. I taught myself by reading brewing<br />
textbooks, magazines, listening to brewing podcasts all the<br />
time (2-6 hours per day) and a lot of trial and error.<br />
SM: What unique strengths do you bring into your business?<br />
I think I have a pretty creative mind and I’m not afraid to take<br />
a risk that may produce something unique and push the<br />
envelope. I believe I know the customers well and we treat<br />
them like friends, because they are.<br />
SM: How did you decide who would be good business<br />
partners, or who wouldn’t?<br />
My wife was my first partner and supporter. She is always<br />
helping with events, marketing and has helped with any odds<br />
and ends throughout the years. The others just happened<br />
naturally. I became good friends with Jack Ehrich and Rod<br />
Wellman at a beer tasting event. We went from friends to<br />
business partners to great friends. They are very supportive<br />
and we complement each other well.<br />
SM: How did you raise capital dollars? Walk us through that<br />
experience.<br />
It was very hard to raise capital in the beginning. Each investor<br />
is different and has their own thoughts on a direction. I think<br />
the key is to be honest with them from the beginning and tell<br />
them about your vision. I ended up meeting my now investors<br />
by networking with people in the area. You can meet a lot new
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