MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio – Over the past seven years, Fibonacci Brewing Company has become a lot more than a small nanobrewery in greater Cincinnati’s bustling beer scene. Through a bevy of programs, such as an on-site urban garden and a reading program, the brewery has left an indelible mark on the Mount Healthy, Ohio, community it calls home.
But that’s only the beginning, according to co-owners Betty and Bob Bollas. The couple applied to Samuel Adams' annual national Brewer Experienceship competition.
Samuel Adams named Fibonacci one of five finalists for the competition, which first began in 2010. The brewery beat out hundreds of other breweries — most of which are much larger than the Bollas’ operation — to win the spot.
What You Need To Know
- Fibonacci Brewing Company is a finalist in the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery’s annual national Brewer Experienceship competition
- The winner receives a year-long mentorship, financial support to attend industry events, business training and the chance to collaborate on a beer with Samuel Adams
- Mount Healthy-based Fibonacci is more of the more "unique" breweries in the country, per event reps
- Beyond making beer, the brewery has an urban garden, a community market and takes part in social efforts such as childhood literacy
If Bob and Betty win, Fibonacci will receive a year-long mentorship, including a trip to the Samuel Adams brewery in Boston to learn from brewing and business experts, including the company’s founder and Cincinnati native Jim Koch. They’d go over areas ranging from brewing and warehousing to graphic design and marketing.
They’ll also receive financial support to attend industry events and the opportunity to brew a collaboration beer with Samuel Adams.
“It’s an incredible opportunity,” said Betty, who is with her husband in New York City this week for the inaugural Crafting Dreams Beer Bash. The couple will present their beer — the Mulberry Grove sour ale (4.5% ABV) — Wednesday night during the finals.
Attendees of the Beer Bash will meet all the finalists, learn about each brewery and, of course, taste all the brews. Then, they’ll vote on the brewery they believe should win the experienceship.
For their contest entry, the Bollases foraged mulberries from Mount Healthy. The couple held a local contest to see who could find the best mulberries in the area. They also added black raspberries grown at their home just a few blocks from the brewery.
Keeping things hyper-local is a major part of Fibonacci’s business model since they started in 2015 on a roughly one-acre plot of land on Compton Road.
The brewery is tiny by most measures, producing about 120 barrels a year, mostly a mix of four year-round offerings and a handful of seasonal recipes. And that’s how they like it, Betty said. They wanted to make it feel like an approachable part of Mount Healthy.
“We wanted to open within our own community as a way to provide something within walking distance for our neighbors to enjoy as well as to provide resources for the various community needs,” said Betty, who described Fibonacci as the only urban farm brewery in the country.
They started their business because of Bob’s love of homebrewing but also because of Betty’s love of urban farming and community outreach. The couple also wanted to give back to Mount Healthy, a mixed-income area where about 16.1% of households live below the poverty line, per data from the 2020 Census.
Betty said they applied to this program to obtain the expertise and assistance from the business coaching as they continue to “expand out versus up.” And that’s not only in terms of their beer-making.
If Fibonacci wins, tentative plans call for them to focus on creating their own food program so they don’t have to rely on food trucks. As part of that goal, they’d expand the on-site urban farm products they create. The couple also plans to use what they learn to improve on ways to impact the Mount Healthy community.
Fibonacci donates 10% of all sales (after taxes) of pints of its flagship Oberhausen kolsch-style ale to a different organization each month. It was the first brewery in the area to join forces with Ellequate, a data-informed employer certification program focused on intersectional workplace equity.
To address local food insecurity during the pandemic, Fibonacci started a monthly farmer’s market. They accept SNAP and Produce Perks — government programs to supplement food purchases for those in need — payment.
Fibonacci takes part in what’s called the “Aunt Flow” program. The brewery’s restrooms, which are gender inclusive, have free period products for anyone who needs them. The Bollases also participate in the Little Free Library Read in Color Program, a new initiative bringing diverse books to book-sharing boxes around the world.
“We’ve donated over 1,000 books in the last year and a half,” Betty said.
Jennifer Glanville, brewer and director of Partnerships at Samuel Adams, described Fibonacci as one of the “most unique breweries in the country.”
For instance, she said, Fibonacci brewers use at least one local ingredient in over 90% of their beers. Not just from their farm, either. They work to support other local farmers and growers to reinvest in the region.
“These folks are not only making great beer but they’re really focused on how they can further grow their community and continue to make an impact there,” Glanville said.
That type of "giving back" mentally is typical in the brewing industry, Glanville said.
She recalled conversations with brewers from across the country about everything from decisions to expand a brewhouse to if they knew a good electrician.
Koch started the experienceship program and other programs, such as a micro-loan program, in light of the humble origins of Samuel Adams nearly 40 years ago, Glanville said. The brewery had difficulty securing a small business loan, for example, and while the team knew a lot about beer, they still needed some help with the nuts and bolts of business.
These programs are a way to give back, Glanville said.
Since 2008, Samuel Adams has supported its nonprofit lending partners in providing more than 3,800 loans totaling over $86 million to food and beverage entrepreneurs in 41 states across the country. Just as important, the program has provided business coaching and advising to more than 13,000 people.
“Jim’s always said, ‘If everybody’s drinking great craft beer, that’s good for everybody in the industry, and that always stuck with me,” Glanville recalled. “It's one of the reasons I've stayed for 21 years.”
Samuel Adams won’t announce the winner of this year’s Brewer Experienceship until later this week. But regardless of whether they win or lose, the Bollasses said they’re focused on continuing to make great beer and a greater impact on Mount Healthy.
“We just want to continue to offer the best program for our staff and community and launch new programming to address additional gaps (in their needs),” Betty said.