The convenience and wonder of on-demand beer delivery has wrestled us into a state of contentment. I mean, why even question whether the grass is greener if we can already get a six-pack delivered straight to our desks? Well, I'm here to tell you that I've seen the other side. And it actually gets better.
Meet Crafty, a six-month-old Chicago startup that will deliver, install, and maintain a stainless steel, dual-tap kegerator to an office, at no cost. In return of the delivery and service, offices just need order a keg from them twice a month for a year. The startup also curates a collection of craft kegs, from Bell's Two Hearted Ale to Revolution's Cross of Gold. Once a keg has been delivered, Crafty will service the system once a month, refilling the C02 and cleaning the lines. In other words, they make it as easy to get a craft draught right at your desk as it is to get a bottle or can.
Crafty was founded by Jimmy Paul, Ishan Daya, and Nathan Rosenstock, three Northwestern graduates that all worked in offices with "good, but not great" beer on tap.
"We couldn't understand why it was so difficult to find kegs of the small-batch, local brews that you could buy glass-by-glass in local bars with great craft beer selections," said Rosenstock. "Clearly this deliciousness is being kegged; but it seemed like all the kegs are sold to bars and restaurants."
So, before the startup even existed, the three began pitching office managers throughout the city with the paper napkin idea of a craft keg delivery service in order to gauge the level of interest and garner feedback. Though they discovered that most offices were intrigued by the concept, there were a few main concerns.
"The two key questions we got were 'Can you help us service the kegerator' and 'Sounds awesome, but we don't have a kegerator...can you help us get one?'"
Confident of the demand, the three launched Crafty in December as a keg delivery business and built out its digital beverage depot, a collection of kegs from craft brewers throughout the Midwest.
"It's too risky for traditional retailers to inventory lots of small-batch kegs, because they aren't likely to move like a keg of Bud Lite is," explained Rosenstock. "Having virtual shelves allows us to list what I believe is the largest selection of kegs in Chicago and Illinois and maybe beyond."
And along with delivery, the startup quickly evolved into a full-service happy hour and events company for offices. Outside of kegs, Crafty supplies companies with bartenders for big corporate parties, as well as with wine and spirits.
This week, less than four months after it launched, Crafty served its 100th office in the city of Chicago.
(Image via Crafty)
