Stainless Shouldn’t Break The Bank: Awesome Gear At Better Prices With Delta Brewing Systems
Thanks for joining us today, Mike, and congratulations on your success in running Delta Brewing Systems! You are making some awesome homebrewing equipment at some great prices, and we’re excited to be sharing your story today!
Tell us about Delta Brewing Systems:
When was Delta Brewing Systems founded, and where are you located?
We started Delta Brewing Systems in July of 2019 and are based in Downers Grove, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Delta Brewing Systems was born from our existing ability to supply industrial equipment to all kinds of industries, including craft and nano breweries. With our on staff engineers and experience with supplying craft breweries, we decided to branch off and use what we know to aid brewers, from homebrewers to nano and craft brewers.
Our initial products for the homebrewing industry are a range of brew kettles, mash tuns, fermenters, and tables. We have also released our own all-in-one electric system. We believe that nailing a core group of products will show our focus on quality and continuous improvement of homebrewing equipment.
On the pro side of the business we will focus on providing high quality air compressors, compressed air dryers, and air filters for the brewing industry. This is an area where we have 30 years experience and have worked on a number of brewery installs around the Midwest.
We also have a line of glycol chillers that can be used as point-of-use chillers or with an existing glycol loop.
Who are your customers?
Homebrewers make up the majority of our customers but we have sold to a number of commercial breweries, wineries, kombucha houses, and cideries.
What makes Delta Brewing Systems unique?
What I feel makes us unique is affordable quality and flexibility. Stainless is expensive but we want to make it more accessible to homebrewers. Any of our kits can be broken out or customized by just dropping us a request.
Buying stainless shouldn’t need to break the bank! We are producing high-quality stainless brewing equipment at a fraction of the price that other companies are charging.
Tell us a little bit about yourself:
When and how did you start homebrewing?
I have been homebrewing for about 7 years now. My first homebrewing setup was a Northern Brewer starter kit with a Big Mouth Bubbler. I loved it and still use it if all my other fermenters are full.
Being a homebrewing equipment company, my homebrewng setup changes whenever I’m testing new equipment. Right now I have been brewing on our new electric AIO brewing system and I ferment in my very first prototype of the FermTank. I use one of our glycol chillers for temperature control as well. I think it’s important that I personally use the same equipment to brew that we sell to our customers. It definitely means I believe that we make great stuff!
What are your favorite beers to brew and drink?
I’m a classics kind of guy. Give me a solid hefe, Berliner Weisse, or brown ale and I’m happy!
Do you have any formal brewing education?
I don’t have any formal brewing education, but my undergrad contained industrial biology of which fermentation science was a segment.
How did you learn and grow in the beer industry?
My work in supplying industrial equipment prior to starting Delta Brewing Systems had given me the chance to work with pro brewers and see their systems. I have also read a ton and love to learn. I spent a lot of time reading brewing books, magazines, and blogs.
Tell us a little bit about how you created Delta Brewing Systems
What made you decide you wanted to open Delta Brewing Systems?
With my engineering job we worked with industrial air compressors and glycol chillers. This has allowed me to work primarily with craft breweries on the compressed air systems and air use. The manufacturer line we use for industrial chillers has a small one that I thought could be configured for home brewers. We went pretty far down that path until they decided that it wasn’t for them. I wanted to get involved in a more consumer orientated business anyway so I sought out Penguin Chillers and started with their chillers.
Once I had the chillers figured out I moved on to my goal of developing a more affordable stainless option for kettles and fermenters that could be used with the chillers. After years of homebrewing/reading/learning I knew what I wanted from a fermenter, namely easy pressure transfers (for IPAs/NEIPAs), temperature monitoring (thermowell as a standard feature), and easy cleaning. These features formed the basis of the FermTank, our 8-gallon stainless steel conical fermenter.
What steps did you take to start the company?
I designed my lid and fermenter designed in AutoCAD, I knew how I wanted it to look and operate. After I was happy with the design, I found a manufacturing partner through a friend of mine and they made me a prototype. I actually still use that prototype as my primary fermenter!
What are your plans for the future of Delta Brewing Systems?
Growth has been steady and increasing, which has been really exciting to see! My biggest plan for the future of Delta Brewing Systems is to hire more people! Right now I do pretty much everything myself but I would like help on the design/engineering side and marketing side. Heck, if you send a message through our chat widget at 8:00pm, I’ll be the one on the other side. I’ve had some great beer chats late at night!
What is one thing you wish you had known before starting Delta Brewing Systems?
Predicting sales! We ran out of stock after last Christmas and with manufacturing issues due to COVID-19. It’s definitely hard to anticipate how much inventory we need to have on hand.
What has been your greatest success running Delta Brewing Systems?
The greatest success has been a personal one. It’s really something special to see pictures of people using your products on social media. I consider that and the positive feedback my greatest success.
What was your greatest challenge in running Delta Brewing Systems?
The biggest challenge has been handling the marketing and balancing everything. It’s an exciting challenge though and makes for fast days and lots of learning.
What is the number one piece of advice that you would give to someone who is interested in creating a product or company in the beer/brewing space?
Have some clear cut goals in mind and be sure to dedicate enough time to getting off the ground. It’s a competitive world but having some unique selling points can make you stand out from the rest.
How can people connect with you?
Drop me a line either by email or on our chat widget, I like to talk beer and brewing even if you are not interested in our equipment! You can reach us:
- On Instagram at @deltabrewingsystems
- On Facebook
- Our website at www.deltabrewingsystems.com
- Email me at mferris@deltabrewingsystems.com.
Reach out to us on any of them!
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us today, Mike! Best of luck to you and Delta Brewing Systems in the future!
Are you a brewery or beer industry business owner with a story to share? Send us an email at john@brewtogether.com or leave a comment below if you would like to be featured in this article series!
Thank you for reading! If you like this article, it would mean the world to us if you would share it with your friends using the social media share buttons below.
If you’re not a member of BrewTogether, we’d love for you to join! BrewTogether is completely free, and signing up is easy! Click here to join!
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase after clicking the link, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Responses