Craft brewery in Ohio that is designed to help Veterans, Service Members and their family. Supporting Agriculture by using local ingredients and complete field to glass, field to plate business model.
I have a complete business plan that I can send.
Camp Delaware Brewing Company
At Camp Delaware Brewing Company (Camp Delaware), although there is a rapid growth in craft
breweries, there are many factors that make Camp Delaware a very special enterprise for investing.
These factors are born from the core values we have as a brewery and an anchor in the Delaware
Community.
Location:
Camp Delaware Brewing Company (CDBC) is located on the south side of downtown Delaware and due
to its size and services, will be the anchor in the upcoming “Gateway to Delaware” project. Camp
Delaware will be a visible presence that speaks to the history of Delaware, but also its future as a
destination for excellent craft beer and food.
Camp Delaware is located opposite Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), with the windows and event
space overlooking the campus and historic buildings. Camp Delaware will be an ideal location to host
OWU events and serve as a bridge between the campus and downtown.
Camp Delaware is located adjacent to a new hotel that is being opened in Delaware, the 1st hotel that
will directly serve OWU and downtown Delaware. It is slated as a 150-room boutique hotel and its
parking lot will share parking space directly with Camp Delaware. The hotel is slated to be completed
construction and open for operation in 2022. Camp Delaware will be the first establishment a visitor
from the hotel will pass on their way to dine, drink or visit downtown Delaware; and it will be the last
place someone would pass on their way back to the hotel. Camp Delaware plans to establish a working
relationship with the hotel that will be mutually beneficial.
New parking is being added to downtown Delaware, and much of the initial focus will be on the street
(Spring St.) adjacent to Camp Delaware. Again, CDBC will be the 1st establishment encountered by
patrons to downtown Delaware.
Brewery:
Camp Delaware will be a 7 - 10 bbl operation that will fit in nicely with the Delaware craft beer scene.
First things first, Camp Delaware is a brewery first, which happens to serve food; excellent food but the
primary mission always of Camp Delaware will be to provide the best beer possible. Always! The quality
and high degree of attention to the beer will always be the focus of Camp Delaware. Coming from a
restaurant background a phrase has always stuck with me my entire life, “You are only as good as your
last meal”. No matter what you have done before, people always remember their last experience and
with competition you can never settle for just good enough. Otherwise people will go elsewhere.
We are laser focused on brewing outstanding beer every batch, following meticulous recipes and
brewing procedures. I would personally dump any beer that doesn’t meet our standards for taste down
the drain rather than sell it. We either serve the best, or nothing.
Camp Delaware will be an ale house that focuses on ales across the entire spectrum: The plan is to have
a blonde/cream ale, a red ale, brown ale, amber ale, IPA, Scottish Ale, Stout and Belgian triple. Plus, a
couple seasonal varieties and adjust as market and consumer preferences suggest will be available.
Part of our philosophy also is to use as much Ohio ingredients in our beers as possible. We are using
100% Ohio grown barley in all our beers. We are committed to producing as many batches as we can
also with 100% Ohio hops. We are planning on having 2 seasonal “Wholly Ohio” batches using all Ohio
barley and hops.
Using 100% Ohio barley is our commitment to helping Ohio farmers and the associated agricultural
industry. We plan to focus on Ohio agriculture and the farmers who supply our ingredients prominently
in our facility, marketing and day-to-day operations.
Spent ingredients will be provided back to farmers for feed and on-farm usage to make every product
we have be both sustainable and promote also good stewardship of our resources.
Hard Seltzer:
Camp Delaware will be the 1st brewery in Delaware (and one of only a handful in Central Ohio), to also
brew hard seltzers. These wildly popular beverages (think White Claw, Truly) are very much part of the
beer/spirits world today and in fact has the largest growth of any beer/spirit market here in the United
States. This is why companies such as InBev, Anheuser-Busch, Sam Adams, Miller and many, many other
larger players in the beer space has begun creating and selling varieties of hard seltzer.
Camp Delaware’s hard seltzer offerings will consist of 3 – 4 varieties to begin (mango, cherry, orange
and lemon/lime). Hard seltzers are more economical to brew as there are fewer ingredients than in beer
and the ingredients are readily available. Having hard seltzers will be a great option for wedding
reception beverage choices and it is believed will be a major differentiator versus other brewery options
in the Delaware market.
Workforce:
Camp Delaware is dedicated to having a military hiring preference for all positions. Camp Delaware
believes that the best way to support our military is to hire veterans wherever possible and employ
service members and their families as much as possible. This is quite honestly because military hires are
precisely the types of employee we wish to have. Hard working, loyal, attentive to detail, the ability to
adapt and to overcome in order to complete any assignment, demonstrable pride in work and
accountable to name just a few of the qualities that define their work ethos.
As the historical Camp Delaware was a place where Union troops mustered and trained to be deployed
to combat, there is a nod to that sentiment in all that we do. The Camp Delaware motto is, “Ready to
Serve!”
One of the traditions at Camp Delaware will be to recognize Military service members and their families
upon entering. There is a rope with a bell attached that will be rung by the service member and a salute
to their branch of service. The custom will be for all in the establishment to raise their glass in a toast to
them.
Camp Delaware apparel will also have a decidedly military theme with the designs, and always with
“Ready to Serve!” as a focal point of the apparel.
Recent genealogical research has turned up an interesting connection between my family and Camp
Delaware. It appears that a great-great Uncle (Alexander Napper), a member of the 27th Regiment
Colored Infantry, was stationed at Camp Delaware and where he subsequently died of measles in 1864.
Camp Delaware will pay honor to the soldiers and regiments trained and deployed from Camp
Delaware. There were 4 regiments, and 4 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients from the 27th
Regiment Colored Infantry who came from Camp Delaware (1/4 of all African-American Congressional
Medal of Honor recipients from the war!). The number 4 is incorporated into our logo an branding in
remembrance of everyone who wore the cloth for their country.
Event Space:
The ‘Upper Room’ event space at Camp Delaware makes it a game-changer in downtown Delaware. By
having over 3,000 sq. ft. with the capacity hold 99 guests, this space fills a void that does not exist in
Delaware. An event space that can comfortably hold both rehearsals, receptions, meetings, events and
entertainment for almost 100 people on a regular basis.
This event space will also serve as the meeting space for the adjacent hotel, as the hotel will primarily
use its space for rooms and will only be able to host small gatherings.
There is No, Zero, None, Nada, Zilch (you get the point) space like the Camp Delaware event space
anywhere close by the downtown. With the thriving Downtown community, Camp Delaware will add to,
and flourish as a hub for a variety of intended groups and events.
Camp Delaware anticipates the ‘Upper Room’ will be booked every night will some event or activity. The
weekends will likely largely consist of rehearsals and receptions for weddings, unique birthdays, and
during OWU sport seasons, alumni and current faculty/student events.
The space is large enough to be partitioned off to host corporate meetings and training sessions.
During the weeknights it is anticipated that there will be regular nights for Trivia Night, Board Game
Night, Murder Mystery Clubs, Magic the Gathering / D&D groups, EA Sports events, watch parties for
both sports and TV shows as well as serve as double the seating capacity of the restaurant as needed for
busy nights and special events. Larger events such as video game tournaments and watch parties are
also in the works.
Live music / entertainment / stand-up comedy will be a hallmark of the entertainment options at Camp
Delaware. The event space can hold intimate or medium sized crowds comfortably for music, shows and
a variety of acts.
Above all, with the event space, it is not lost that whatever is being held in the Upper Room event space
that the event is being held in a brewery. This ambiance, which also being located within downtown
Delaware, will make it one of the most desired spaces to be rented out.
The event space will cover the SBA loan each month just from being rented out, plus not counting the
additional revenue from the appetizers or beer sales. The event space is a game changer. The
Business/Event Manager firmly believes based on his knowledge of the wedding planning world that this
space will be booked every weekend indefinitely.
Restaurant:
While Camp Delaware is a brewery first and restaurant second, that does not mean the quality of the
food will suffer in the least. In fact, quite the opposite. The menu will consist of a limited number of
entrée’s (all will be able to fit on 1 side of a 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper: See Attached menu).
All the food will be of the highest taste and quality (again, only as good at your last meal) and be derived
from ingredients grown by Ohio farmers, and almost all main ingredients will be sources within a 4-hour
drive of Central Ohio.
There will be a signature BLT soup that will use local bacon and local grown lettuce and tomatoes.
Camp Delaware will feature signature appetizers such as pretzels that will be a meal in and of
themselves.
As Camp Delaware is located downtown, there will be discounts for city and county employees, first
responders and service members/veterans and their families.
The food offerings will complement the beer selections, and no one will go home hungry. The
atmosphere of the restaurant will make everyone feel welcome as if they stopped by a local tavern for
some respite, good company and great beer and food.
Tap Rooms:
As Camp Delaware is a brewery first, there will be ample opportunity to partake of the various beers on
tap at one of the three tap rooms that are on premises.
There will be the saloon like bar that will be available for those who wish to eat and chat within an arm’s
reach of the tap (no touching allowed though
). The bar taps will serve the downstairs restaurant
patrons and those sitting at its stools.
At the primary bar is an area known as the ‘Flight Deck’. This is where patrons can come and order a test
flight of Camp Delaware’s beer selections; with assistance from the bartender or other CBDC staff. It will
operate very much like a wine tasting room style of introduction to Camp Delaware’s beer selections.
There will be a tap room immediately upon entry of Camp Delaware. This space will allow those who
just want to stop in for a pint (or two) but don’t want to sit down at the restaurant or want to sit outside
at the patio. Any of the food options will be available, but this space will be dominated by appetizers
and flights to try and taste all the beers Camp Delaware has to offer.
The third tap room will be in the Upper Room event space. This will be there to serve any of the patrons
at any of the variety of functions and events that are held there each evening. If we could find room for
a 4th tap room, we would, but any of the remaining available space is either off limits or where no one
would want a tap room (unless they just wanted to cut out the middle-man between their trips to the
lavatory).
Best of Breed Beverages:
Camp Delaware is all about hospitality, and as such we recognize that not everyone who comes is a fan
of craft beer. Therefore, we plan to provide the best possible beverages of all sorts, for all ages, tastes
and likes.
These will include the best of breed: Coffee, Cold brew, Lemonade, Iced Tea, Kombucha and specialty
sodas. Even the water will be of high quality (using a reverse osmosis system). Camp Delaware will be
known as a quality beverage destination.
In addition to the above, Camp Delaware will also serve a House Red, White and Pink wine; from a local
winery (Oak and Brazen Winery also located in Delaware).
Camp Delaware is also planning on featuring premium Ohio made bourbon from OYO Distillery.
Sustainability:
Camp Delaware will use a high sustainability approach to all that is done with the brewing of beer and
within the restaurant.
All the beers and food offerings will have a clear ‘Field to glass’ or ‘Field to table’ chain of authenticity.
Visitors will know exactly where their ingredients come from and what is done with any food by-product
used in the brewing or cooking process.
It is an intentional goal of Camp Delaware to use ingredients on their menu that can be sourced within a
4-hour radius of Central Ohio. This will not only support the local growing economy, but also position
Camp Delaware not to be at the mercy of ingredients that may be seasonal or have a volatility in their
supply.
Delaware Community:
Camp Delaware (which interestingly is the only brewery or restaurant in the town that takes the name
Delaware) is positioned to be an anchor of the community for a long time to come. Camp Delaware
blends both the historic Delaware and the modern era with its event space and progressive role of
sustainability and commerce.
Camp Delaware plans to work will all local breweries to help with such things as tourism and attracting
visitors to the well-deserved beer and food culture destination that is downtown.
Camp Delaware plans to be a focal point for local events such as First Friday’s downtown, and other
events such as the Arts Fair, downtown Auto show, the Little Brown Jug and OWU activities and
functions.
In short, Camp Delaware want to be a part of the fabric that surrounds it and be a place where everyone
comes to share in both the history and future of this vibrant community.
Space:
Adjusting the Camp Delaware Business plan to a COVID / Post-COVID world is vital in understanding the
potential success of Camp Delaware during a time of uncertainty in the hospitality sector. This
confidence comes from the age old adage of “location, location, location”; but Camp Delaware has
“space, space, space” unlike any other brewery or restaurant in Delaware. In an age of distancing, Camp
Delaware has the opportunity to both follow and comply with any health ordinances but also has room
to accommodate a large enough number of patrons so as to be profitable.
The maximum capacity at Camp Delaware in a non-COVID world is 220. The lower level dining area could
hold @ 120 and that the upper event space can hold a maximum of 99. Note: This is one of, if not the,
largest dining spaces in all of Delaware.
There is approximately 2,556 sq. ft. of dining space in the lower level. Using spacing guidelines that
greatly exceed the CDC and Ohio, a value of 57 sq. ft. per person was established (and also helps keep
the number consistent with the Upper level). A total of 45 people could be in the lower level.
The available square footage for dining/gathering in the Upper level is also the same (2,556 sq. ft.) so
the same number of people (n=45) is used. Therefore, 90 available seats in the tap room is the
conservative number used for revenue and number of customer calculations. Again, this is a muchreduced
number when up to full capacity of over 220.
Space – Competitive Advantage
While Camp Delaware is fully behind having a strong working relationship with the other breweries in
town (Staas, Restoration, Old Dog), and the goal is to mutually grow the Delaware craft beer market;
there are some major competitive advantages that are worth noting.
First, Space. Camp Delaware is functionally larger than the 3 other breweries combined with respect to
tap room seats and dining potential. Staas is @ 2,000 sq. ft., Restoration is @ 1,491 square feet and Old
Dog is @ 2,000 sq. ft. for a combined total of 5,491 square ft.
Camp Delaware is conservatively 5,112 sq. ft. of functional space (more when the bar is included in the
calculations). Thus, in a COVID landscape Camp Delaware can physically hold more people than the 3
other breweries combined…and this is even at 50% capacity for Camp Delaware.
In a world where space and distancing is key, Camp Delaware has space unlike any other competitor.
Second, Parking. Camp Delaware is the only brewery with dedicated parking for its customers. Parking is
a huge demand in Delaware and Camp Delaware will have its own parking lot, and also be able to share
parking with the hotel, adjacent businesses and Ohio Wesleyan (see attached map). There is ample
parking on S. Sandusky that is normally not used as some may consider it too far to walk, however for
Camp Delaware it is in proximity. Additionally, there is parking on Spring Street that is also under utilized
but will be ideal for Camp Delaware customers.
Third, Expansion. Camp Delaware is the only brewery that has the ability to expand in size and scale. The
other breweries are either locked in their building footprint or there is simply no where to expand to if
desired. Camp Delaware can expand on its own property or to adjacent buildings as necessary.
3 Year Forecast P & L
FY 1
Calculations for Year 1 were based on a 7-10 bbl system and conform to sales and production from other
7-10 bbl systems.
7 | P a g e
This forecast is based on a potential COVID world still in place, or about 50% occupancy from start-up
until normal operations begin. Thus, the projections are conservative (yet profitable). These projections
are based on 90 available seats in the tap room.
Using industry standard models for calculating a conservative estimate of potential business (please see
attached spreadsheets), which includes 1.4 12 oz. pints being consumed by each customer, with an
average of 90 minutes per visit, Camp Delaware being open 71 hours each week, at 50% capacity,
amounts to approximately 9,255 customers each month.
This 9,255 is consistent with other establishments in Delaware based on information from the City
Economic Development office.
It should be noted that the income for Year 1 does NOT include any rental of the event space, as it is still
unknown when events of any size can happen. The moment that clarity comes to the ability to meet
Camp Delaware will aggressively begin reserving the event space for use; which has the ability to be a
major profit center. Again, speaking to the conservative nature of the revenue numbers.
For Year 1, we are estimating a net profit of $899,000.
FY 2
Using FY 1 as a basis, it is anticipated that Camp Delaware will grow by 3% in year 2. This will be largely
because of the Event Space. There will be the opportunity to have wedding rehearsal dinners and
wedding receptions on the weekend. There were over 2,000 marriage licenses issued in Delaware
between 2016 – 2018. Estimating that even if Camp Delaware would only get a small percentage of
those wedding events, we conservatively estimate that 26 weddings and rehearsals will be held at Camp
Delaware each year.
Seasonally, it is anticipated that January – March will be the slowest of the months in terms of Event
Space for weddings. That said, there will continue to be the Trivia Nights, Board Game Nights, Live Music
Nights, Corporate events and Training events that Camp Delaware will aggressively market for to have
something going on in the event space every night. This could on occasion be overflow from the dinner
crowd if necessary.
May – June will balance both Ohio Wesleyan graduation and the students leaving for the summer, and
graduation and alumni activities hosted at Camp Delaware. Weddings are expected to increase.
July - September will be weddings, return to school, outdoor events in the City of Delaware and
transitioning to football, both college and professional.
September - November will be football, both live with games at Ohio Wesleyan and on TV. There is
actually a very high demand for weddings in August through October. The Delaware County Fair and the
Little Brown Jug will be a high-profile event for Camp Delaware, as CDBC is planning on being a major
sponsor of the event and surrounding activities.
An Oktoberfest celebration is currently in the works for Delaware in the month of October, this will be a
major promotional time as well as the beginning of the corporate holiday bookings. It is anticipated that
because Camp Delaware has a ‘one-of-a-kind’ event space, that through the entire holiday season the
event space will be booked solid and again will be supplemented by the other event space daily
offerings.
It is anticipated that December will be booked solid for events, parties and a New Years bash.
For Year 2, we are estimating a profit of $933,000.
FY 3
Calculations for Year 3 are built off the growth from Year 2 and will represent a 3% increase from Year 2
to Year 3. The rationale is the same for Year 2, but that as word continues to spread about the beer,
food and event space at Camp Delaware, there will be a steady growth in customers both on the
patronage and the event space usage.
Adjustments will obviously be needed to be made and with Camp Delaware’s sophisticated CRM and
POS integrated solution, inputs and outputs will be able to be analyzed and acted upon.
In Years 2 and 3 CDBC is anticipated to include several more season batches of beer made entirely will
Ohio barley and hops, the “Wholly Ohio” line.
For Year 3, we are estimating a profit of $990,000.
3-Year Net Income Projections:
Partners:
Camp Delaware takes to heart the African proverb of: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together”. Camp Delaware plans to go far and be part of the Delaware community for a long time
to come. To do that, Camp Delaware has already partnered with, or has reached out to following groups
to help take CDBC the distance.
Denny Bolton / Kreg King
Dean Riviera
City of Delaware
Delaware Office of Economic Development
Ohio Wesleyan University
Ohio Corn and Wheat Growers Association
Ohio Small Grains Association
Ohio Soybean Council
Ohio Craft Brewers Association
Ohio Hop Growers Association
Ohio Aquaculture Association
Oak and Brazen Winery
Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage Mart
Haus Malts
Origin’s Malts
Rustic Barn Malts
Barley 5 Malts
Investment Opportunities:
Camp Delaware is open to investors who want to join the mission, vision and values of CDBC to become
a special gathering place around a local brewery for fellowship and community.
Camp Delaware Equity Partner: Someone who is interested in owning a part of a brewery. At this
moment investments would need to be greater than $100,000 ($300,000 max) for between 10 - 25%
equity share based on the overall contribution. This would be for someone who is looking for a longterm
investment strategy. Based on conservative projections, the ROI will happen within 4 years and
from that time on will be a significant return based on a percentage of net profits.
Camp Delaware Brewing Company Menu – as of
7/10/20
Soups:
Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato – Bacon base topped
with lettuce and tomato
Creamy Sausage Potato – Sausage based with
mashed potato
Corn Chowder
Chef’s Choice
Apps:
Signature Soft Pretzel with beer cheese,
stadium mustard
Jerky Sampler – Beef, Pork and Other meat
jerky
Ohio Street Corn – Ohio sweet corn with CDBC
seasonings
Wings
Candied Bacon
Chef’s choice
Salads:
House – w/ Lemon – Vinegar dressing,
tomatoes, cucumbers
Salad with some sort of smoked protein, & goat
cheese and cranberries
Chef’s choice
Desserts:
Bacon Tan – Vanilla Ice cream in Stout float,
tops with caramel, maple bourbon and Bacon
Apple Crisp
Chocolate Dessert
Chef’s choice
Entrees:
Smoked Meatloaf
House Brown Jug – Turkey / Mashed potato
Fish (likely Perch) and Chips
Smoked Lasagna
Chef’s choice
Veggie Entrée:
Plant based Burger
Black Bean Burger
Tofu ?
Smoked Mac & Cheese
Chef’s choice
Sandwiches:
Venison Reuben
House Burger
Smoked Brisket Sandwich
Chicken Sandwich
Chef’s Choice
Kids:
Chicken Tenders
Smoked Mac & Cheese
Chef’s Choice
Specialty:
House Pickles
House Poutine
House Jerky
Chef’s Choice