Hot Plate Brewing Co., opened in 2023, is owned by couple Sarah Real and Mike Dell'Aquila. They have opened the only brewery in the city and create their own lines of beer and hard seltzer. They wrote up a business plan during the pandemic and looked for a place to open their brewery. Dell'Aquila remembered his time in Berkshire County, liking how close the towns are to each other but how different each is, and noticed downtown Pittsfield didn't have a brewery.
They've since been selected by USA Today as one of the 10 best breweries founded since 2022 and been recognized by organizations as diverse as the Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Berkshire Pride.
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How did your company get started?
We were homebrewers in Brooklyn working day jobs and thinking of starting a brewery as a second act in life. When a code violation in our condo left the whole building without heat, hot water, or functioning stoves, we started homebrewing on a literal hot plate, and when the pandemic hit, we decided to move up to Berkshire County with our jobs and started planning to open a commercial brewery in Pittsfield.
What inspired the business or idea originally?
Sarah first fell in love with craft breweries during a cross-country trip in 2005, but she'd just completed her master's degree in telecommunications and Mike suggested that they pursue "real jobs" which led to 20-year careers in marketing and media.
Why has Berkshire County been a good place to build your business?
We saw an opportunity to support the revitalization efforts going on in Pittsfield, and right now, we are the city's only brewery. Because we don't have a commercial kitchen, we also support our neighbors by allowing (and encouraging) guests to order takeout from them, so we've been able to create a small community of connected businesses as we grow.
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How important is the local community to your company?
Part of what drew us to Pittsfield was the size of the full-time population, compared with the more seasonal destinations elsewhere in the county, and so we have built a strong network of local regulars who help keep the lights on year-round.
Do you source locally or work with other Berkshire businesses?
We are constantly collaborating with neighboring business. We have QR code menus from Espetinho Carioca (a Brazilian eatery), making them our most frequent collaborator, but we've teamed up with a variety of businesses throughout the county.
What do you think makes Berkshire County unique for entrepreneurs and manufacturers?
Creating new brands, products, and services in post-industrial communities provides a great testing ground for both locals and visitors from Boston, New York, and other places.
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What is your company culture like?
We stress the value of being your whole self at Hot Plate. We have eclectic tastes and intellectual or artist interests, and there's a real passion for sharing knowledge or learning from others. We've also had crazy longevity among our employees, which has helped us foster deeper connections has time has gone on.
What do you enjoy most about running a business in the Berkshires?
We both left corporate careers to pursue a passion-led business and enjoying the freedom that comes with it. There's a lot more responsibility, stress, and all other sorts of headaches, but there's also plenty of opportunity to be creative, and to test and learn what works.
What have been some of the biggest challenges for your business?
The shrinking demand for and consumption of alcohol has been a challenge industry-wide, and we've been no exception. We also say our biggest competitor is just staying at home, on the couch, doom scrolling and half-watching some streaming service. Trying to remind people to socialize and engage in social drinking (responsibly) continues to be the task at hand.
What accomplishments are you most proud of?
In the early days, we got a lot of recognition for being one of very few Latina-owned organizations, and we're still proud of how much we've been able to advance a message of diversity and inclusivity in a straight white male-dominated industry, but the longer time has gone on, we're most proud of the friendships that we've seen form in the taproom, and the fact that we've become the place where people want to bring visitors; plan parties as varied as retirements, baby showers, and other life events; and the fact that we're still growing and standing while a lot of people told us we were crazy for doing what we set out to do in Downtown Pittsfield.
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What's something people might be surprised to learn about your company?
From brewing to bookkeeping to content creation and sales, most of the roles and responsibilities in our company besides bartending are being performed by only two people.
What keeps you motivated?
Not wanting to have to give up the creative freedom of running our own place or having to return to corporate jobs.
What advice would you give someone looking to start a business in the Berkshires?
Have a great partner or friend group, and a therapist. Whether it's the Berkshires or beyond, starting a business is not easy, and it's not always fun, although you will get to experience some of your highest highs along with your lowest lows.