Founders & Radicals: Gabriel Magliaro
There is more to a great brewery than great beer. Growing a successful business takes leadership from minds that find solutions rather than problems.
Since 2007, Gabriel Magliaro and his colleagues at Half Acre Beer Company have proven themselves to be leaders in the beer community, churning out innovative brews surrounded by a constantly growing culture that is as equally impressive.
I was first introduced to Gabriel well before our first brew day and he has served as a resource for our growing brewery over our first year. We share entrepreneurial ideals and an approach that focuses a great deal of energy on highlighting creativity even while under constant growth. An example of this creativity with Half Acre is their art. Through the eyeballs of the talented Phineas Jones, this North Center-based brewery has created a visual identity that aligns with their values. We take this same approach and as you read through my conversation with Gabriel, you'll start to notice some other similarities as well.
Founders & Radicals:
In one sentence, how do you define your drive to keep your business growing?
Gabriel Magliaro: It feels natural to push.
Outside of Half Acre, it seems that few have transitioned from contract brewing to production and done it well. How did your brand benefit from getting your legs under you while contracting?
Contracting was the perfect way to see another brewery's mess before making our own. It didn't help us to become better brewers, but it put some pieces in the puzzle and helped us to know what we didn't know.
What was the road not taken, what was Half Acre almost called?
Devil's Half Acre. That's the name of the patch of land where our name comes from.
there is no finish line. You've never made it. Failure always exists if you allow it to get close.
If you weren't making beer, what would you be doing?
I have no idea. My mind has been on this endeavor since I was 27 and hasn't left much space for anything else. If this slipped away tomorrow, I'd start another company that allowed me to be involved in the creative process. I've always found myself part of that process.
What is your most prized possession?
My daughter, my wife... Cliche? I don't really possess them anyway, so I'll have to go with the idea of the remote home with clean lines where I will one day spend loads of time.
What is the most stressful element of entrepreneurship?
The fact that there is no finish line. You've never made it. Failure always exists if you allow it to get close.
Define your approach to customer service.
Don't be an asshole. Nothing above or below that.
Name a business that inspires you and why:
Patagonia. Say what you want about their clothes, stance on style or customers... they make reputable products that have allowed them to explore their interests and ideals while attaining financial freedom. A tight endeavor from top to bottom.
What is the biggest mistake you've made for your business?
The big one is probably the sum of many little ones. I personally operate from the gut and hip and there's a lot to know about steering a growing business, more than my guts or hip have had the chance to learn.
What do you wish you had invented?
The skateboard. Simple and perfect.
How high of a priority do you place on your company's culture?
Culture is everything in my mind.
If you had two equal and stellar candidates for a position, what would make you choose one over the other?
After getting past the facts of whether or not a person is capable, we always ask ourselves "could we go on vacation with this person?"
With additional breweries coming online and growth by everyone in the next few years, what do you think is most important to make a brand separate themselves and stand out?
Make great beer, be yourself and hope you're not like everyone else.
I personally operate from the gut and hip and there's a lot to know about steering a growing business, more than my guts or hip have had the chance to learn.
What keeps you up at night?
I sleep pretty well these days. The only thing that shakes that is the idea of pushing back out into waters where I again find myself up at night.
What have you sacrificed to get this far?
My personal time, my interests outside of Half Acre - probably the same things most business owners sacrifice. I'm lucky.
This is the first of many in the series Founders & Radicals, a collection of ideas from some of the driving forces in commerce, art, and entrepreneurship. These people do rad shit and we hope you draw inspiration from them. We certainly do.
