Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Edwards.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My dad, Larry, started home-brewing 20 years ago but it wasn’t until I was in college at the University of Alabama that he really invested the time and money for the equipment and the process. We would home-brew together whenever I would visit home and even when I moved back home after graduation in 2013, this really was a fun time for us to spend together on Friday or Saturday nights. We called it Makin’ some and Drinkin’ Some. We would then host family and friends to get their opinions on the beer and help us drink it so we could have room to make more! In the summer of 2015, I got laid off from my banking job which was truly a blessing in disguise. It was during that time I turned to my parents, Larry and Marilyn Edwards, and pitched the idea of starting the company and thinking about actually producing our beer on a commercial scale and eventually selling it. They agreed. Dad, of course, was just dreaming of all the beer he could drink. We began the company formation, licensing process, build out, and equipment purchases which has taken over 2 years. It has taken us that long because we are 100% self-funded and all cash. That was our big requirement to help set us up in the long run.
The name 4J comes from our ranch in Blue, Texas. Mom and Dad named the ranch, 4J Ranch, after their 4 daughters, who all have names starting with a “J”. I am the 4th daughter, 4J. While the other 3 sisters aren’t involved, they fully support us and can’t wait for us to open. Also, all of our spent grain and brewing by-products go to our farm to feed cattle, deer, hogs, etc. They love it!
4J is a women owned, family operated business in Spring Branch. Mom and I own the company since Dad just wanted to be an employee but it really has taken all 3 of us, to get this business up and running. I am the only one that is full time right now so I brew and handle all of the daily operations. Mom helps with the office operations and finances. Dad helps with the maintenance, build out, equipment and official taste testing. We really depend on each other and are thankful to have this opportunity. The community has been so supportive and we can’t wait to open and share our love of beer.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
In general, there is a lot of regulations and red tape in the alcohol industry, There is a lot of waiting when you submit your applications with the city, state, and federal agencies for approval. We submitted one at a time and didn’t buy any equipment until we were fully approved for operations. We didn’t want to invest money in equipment and build out with there being a chance of not getting approved. Additionally, most of the commercial brewing equipment is made to order so when you put a deposit down, it could take 6-12 weeks until the equipment is ready to ship. So, more waiting. We have had great experiences with everyone we have dealt with but it is just a slow process to get everything in order. Because of this, and being self-funded, it has taken us longer to open our doors but we wanted to take the safest route.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the 4J Brewing Company story. Tell us more about the business.
We haven’t opened our doors just yet. I jumped the gun this past summer thinking we could open with brewing on our smaller equipment while waiting for our bigger our equipment. However, we decided to just wait for everything to come in and do it the right way. When we do open in early 2018, we will have 4 American Ales – Pale Ale, Blonde, Amber, and Stout. We are simple people brewing simple beer so we really want to keep things basic and balanced. Once we have production up to speed, we can’t wait to throw in some specialty beers and add more beer to our line-up.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My parents have owned the entire property where we sit for nearly 30 years. While we are in just one of the warehouse/office spaces, there is 6 more to expand into. Not only do we have room for expansion, we have had our property picked and available from day 1. This is usually the hardest part for breweries opening. There is so much regulation with the City on how far the location can be from churches, schools, hospitals, etc. We really lucked out that our location was within the required distance and the property that we already had was good to use. Additionally, when I got laid off in 2015, my parents were renovating this lease space to find a new tenant. The timing worked perfectly that the space was available when we decided to form the company.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1348 Cedar Post Lane, Houston, TX 77055
- Website: www.4jbrewingcompany.com
- Phone: 713-678-0776
- Email: info@4jbrewingcompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4jbrewingcompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4Jbrewingcompany/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/4jbrewingco
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/4j-brewing-company-houston
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