Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Finkel.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Robert. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started Forbidden Root as a lot of startups launch – with a question. My first question was: If I went to Dodge City in the late 1800’s… what did the root beer (that the barkeep would slide down in a frosty mug) taste like? The flavorful beers, that were brewed by the ladies of the household, using local ingredients, for 10,000 years. Our brewpub on Chicago Ave. serves as an innovation flywheel to dial-in beers, to take risks, and to make pub only beers which are made to prove that we can (Orange Bomb: an Orange Blossom beer made with 20% orange blossom honey). or to be playful (Me Drink Cookie, an oatmeal raisin beer in which our guest have the option of our including popping chocolate boba – and drink it with a wide diameter straw).
We’ve focused on brewing with innovative ingredients and process. Our line of New England pale ales focused on the absolutely stunning hop aromas and flavors that can be achieved through biotransformation, which is an art. We’ve gotten to where we are through passion, creativity, and a fearless focus on innovation and delivering experiences that are new and delicious. Our fans love engaging with us and really get what we are doing. Our chef wants to make food worthy of the beer, and our brewer wants to make beer worthy of the food. We recruit people who like to set standards vs. following them, so they can be quirky. The ‘right amount of odd’ as I like to say. The primary ingredients of any successful business are the right people who create great process, the outcome of which in our case is the liquid. The rulebook for success is actually pretty straightforward. Sticking to it is the hard part.
Has it been a smooth road?
There is never a smooth road to anything worthwhile in the long-term. Our first two products were a root beer beer (which we have taken off the market as we didn’t want to be associated with the others which were sweet (ours was oak aged and not sweet) and a Key Lime Ginger beer- Sublime Ginger. In the very early days, Some misperceived that we may be a hard soda company, which could not have been more off-base. We love hops and we are among the innovators in the NE pale ale category and quickly sell out of the 6 beers we package.
Once a consumer tastes our beer, and then another, there is a palpable revelation – a balance of flavors in every beer. BALANCE. Because we are so differentiated, newcomers could think we are a perfumery. Anyone who extracts and combines natural flavors for a living is especially sensitized to the importance of having diva flavors play nice with each other. Because we obsessively R+D our beers, we may test 40 types and forms of ginger to pick one, But the truth wins our over time, and our increasing fan base knows if we put a product out, it is likely very high quality and well thought out.
We win when people taste our beers as they are very thoughtfully designed and constructed, But for those who don’t know us, we need to find ways to reach out to them. The pub has helped immeasurably in allowing our guests to try one of the 12 beers we brew and serve.
We certainly have had growing pains, but have brought in a brewer with some really great and applicable creative and commercial brewing experience, and recently a COO in order to create a foundation for future growth. We are very fortunate to be in a position to have a full-time social media professional, and staff that most smaller breweries cannot justify. Our goals are very long-term and are able to make investments accordingly.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are inspired by the many bounties of nature; by eliciting and coaxing flavor out of ingredients in different ways. Whether it be using wood in different ways, or by designing our own flavor torpedo that boosts the beauty of the natural ingredients that we frequently add. We’re know for being edgy, but not for the sake of, but for turning people on to new experiences. As a culture we all really get deep satisfaction from broadening other people’s horizons.
I’m proud of how we treat our staff, our guests. I’m proud of the thoughtful process we go through to design a beer; I’m proud of our high standards. I’m proud of what we have built – both our restaurant which is a physical manifestation of our vision – the design of which was a very collaborative process.
Our beer is a reflection of our team, and I am very proud of our team. One look at our beer boards and you will understand what sets us apart,
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I love Chicago for a variety of reasons, many of which apply to why I love craft beer culture. It is welcoming, inclusive, and rewards people and business based on merit. The Chicago consumer is full of no BS and that’s the way they like it. Which is not to say they are not sophisticated, because they are, but pretention is shunned… as it should be. So, Chicago is a place that is friendly, and cares about how people are treated, are by and large, direct and honest. We love our neighborhood, and Chicago is a group of connected neighborhoods with different and wonderful personalities.
One of the great personalities of Chicago is an artist, Tony Fitzpatrick, whose art is featured on or New England pale ale cans… he represents a fearless approach to art which I hope reflects our own.
I would recommend Chicago as a place to start a business. I’d love to see more financial incentives for those small business brave enough to out their hats in the ring.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.forbiddenroot.com
- Phone: 312-929-2202
- Email: Tori@forbiddenroot.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forbiddenroot/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForbiddenRoot/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/forbiddenroot
Image Credit:
Fig Media, BJ Pichman
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