# Brownrigg Hard Cider

Award-winning producer of fast-selling and distinct hard apple cider

## Elevator pitch
We make and sell hard apple cider.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/brownrigg.hard.cider.
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:48186
- Last updated: 2026-06-05T05:00:14Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-06T03:44:01Z

## Quick facts
- Our taproom sales up 37% in 2020 (1st 6 months, 2020/2019).
- Our combined yearly retail and wholesale sales increased 173% in 2019.
- Popular SODO taproom located 1/2 mile from the Seattle Seahawks, Mariners and Sounders FC stadiums.
- Craft cider demand up 10% in the Pacific Northwest in 2019.
- We maintain a 5-star rating on all major online platforms with two Double Gold medals (2018 & 2019).

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:28637: 4(a)(6) successful (USD)

## Story
Brownrigg Hard Cider is a flavor focused 20 barrel craft cidery and taproom in the SODO neighborhood of Seattle. Opened in 2017 by orchardist and cider maker Chris Brownrigg, who's unique recipes created an obsessively loyal fanbase eager for each new distinct cider.Since then, we have enormously exceeded our business targets with sales increasing 173% in our first full year (2019/2018). Fig Leaf, Cascade hopped, Cherry Cardamom, Unfiltered Dry and Blackberry/Raspberry ciders.Year over year growth up 173%Brownrigg Hard Cider is now known for fresh, quality craft cider in Seattle and Washington State.We've been growing as fast as we can to meet the thirsty NW cider market -- which has seen craft cider demand increase 10% year over year. In 2020 our taproom retail sales have grown 37% so that even at our premium price point we continue to sell out of product. We need bigger tanks, a taproom redesign and full-time staff to keep up with demand.We have experienced a common seasonal Q2-Q3 drop with sales rebounding the following quarter.Both wholesale and retail sales began climbing immediately and in our first full year of business increased an astonishing 173%! We acquired our second 10 barrel uni-tank in an attempt to increase production and meet demand but we were still selling out of cider.Ingredients sourced directly from our Seattle orchardWe responsibly grow and harvest apples, pears, plums, cherries, and figs as well as herbs, grapes, kiwi, hops, and berries in our West Seattle orchard. This allows us exclusive access to specialty ingredients. With an abundance of natural options to choose from, Chris Brownrigg incorporates them in our recipes with delicious results. Rosemary, apple blossom, fig leaves, hops, apples, and cherry blossoms.Urban cidery, great SODO locationHere we are! Great location for a taproom and production space.In 2016 we found a great spot in the shadow of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders stadiums. Co-locating with the highly recognized 3 Howls Distillery in the heart of the city this location offers all the production space we need as well as a taproom for onsite and to-go sales. There was plenty to do including installation of our 10 barrel (310 gallon) uni-tank, glycol chiller, and the walk-in cooler.Award-winning cider. Rose Top (Blood Orange, Cardamom, Rose Petal), Fig Leaf and Dragon Fruit Lemon Ciders.In November 2018 we were awarded a double gold medal from the 2018 Cidercraft Awards Spiced/Botanical category for our Fig Leaf Cider and we followed that up with another double gold from Sip Magazine's Best of the Northwest 2019 for our White Peach Basil Cider in October. Truly amazing. My husband and I went here because of the excellent reviews and they were no lie. Living in Denver, we are beer and cider snobs. This is by far the greatest cider either of us have had. The depth of the flavor profiles was exceptional. Facebook reviewCOVID-19 kinda cramped our style, but...We quickly pivoted by adding canned "crowlers" to our inventory allowing our customers additional to-go cider options.Our taproom sales remain strong, and both alcohol and craft beverage sectors have grown substantially in 2020. Specifically, online orders and in-store sales have seen double digit growth in recent months. Our wholesale numbers are down and will remain impacted until bars and restaurants are back to capacity but we have been fighting back with a 37% increase in taproom sales (first 6 months 2019/2020).Sales are strong at our sanitary, masked and very friendly taproom.We need your help to grow!Mariana Gonzalez, assistant cider maker alongside one of our two 10 barrel tanks and rum and whiskey barrels.A taproom makeover will allow us to offer more cider on tap and a quicker, safer customer experience. We also need two new tanks and additional staffing. Our cider has found acclaim and admiration among our customers, proving there is a market thirsty for our products. Help us quench it!Please do help us grow! Thanks for your interest!

## FAQ
1. **Why this platform instead of a business loan?**
   - Hi Brandi! We are a little too small to be considered for the usual Small Business Administration loan options.
2. **I am a little confused by the verbiage..it says payback multiple is 2.5 and further down it says 150% on top. Which one is it? If I am understanding correctly say if you invest say $10,000 you have the right to be repaid $25,00-is that correct? I am just going off the payback ...**
   - Hi Drew, that got me too. It is a little bit of a brain twister the way it's written but both are true. If you invest $1,000 (during the early bird time before the limit of $65K is raised) then your payout is $2500. That being 2.5X of $1,000. That can also be accurately described as 150% of $1,000. Or 1,000 x (1 + 150%) = 2,500. Just two ways of saying the same thing. After the early bird period it goes to 1.75X so, new math applies then. Thank you for your interest and your qu...
3. **What would you say your expected revenue is for the next few years assuming you can purchase the equipment and make the hires you need? Additionally, is the 5% revenue share just split between the potential $250k invested or is there elsewhere it can go? Thanks**
   - Hi Jake, revenue forecasting is tricky but I'm expecting to increase sales to 1.5x our current numbers by years end and to continue to increase to 3x sales by end of quarter 2 2021 with combined (retail/wholesale) monthly numbers between 15K-20K. That 5% revenue share is just for investors. Thanks!
4. **Hi Christopher, are you currently cash flow positive? After the investment/buying the equipment, how long do you think you would breakeven? Also, is the early bird amount 60000 or 65000? Thank you :)**
   - Hi Aaron, 60K for early. Sorry for my early typo. Was cash flow positive pre covid but we took a big hit in the wholesale kegs market. Things have been improving and we've increased our on-site to-go sales. Difficult forecasting but we are thinking 2rd quarter 2021 for the numbers to return.
5. **Hey CB: I'm down in the Tacoma area and don't get up that way often. Is any of your product down this way? I'm a big fan and supporter of the local area distilleries, breweries, and wineries and will likely want to fine a way to support you but I like being able to buy what I ...**
   - Hi John! Yes, we are on tap with our White Peach Baisl at the gorgeous new Tacoma taproom Cider & Cedar, www.ciderandcedar.com. I also had a keg of the same at Auburn's CRFT bottle shop for south of Seattle options. Funding closes the first week in December so there is still time to join if you like! Thanks!

## Team
- Christopher Scott Brownrigg (Owner, Cidermaker)
- Mariana Gonzalez (Partner, Assistant Cider Maker)
- Robert E. Well (Partner, Graphic Designer, Brand Consultant)

## Q&A
- Q: Can I transfer the growler fill perk to someone within the Seattle area? I’d like to share my love of cider with others
  - A: Yes! Absolutely. As long as they are +21 I'd be happy to transfer the perk. Thanks!
- Q: In case I invest $1000.00, how and when I will receive the 1.75 times return? Is it guaranteed fixed return?
  - A: Hi Ashutosh! Have a look at the Investment Terms on the right-side of the page. That will spell it out much better than I can. Thanks for your interest! Cheers!
- Q: Can you share more about your team? Do you currently have staff with distribution/sales experience?
  - A: Hi Vincent, thanks for your question. We are about to hire and will be looking to fill a sales/distribution position to increase the scope of our wholesale business.
- Q: there is no perks for investing? if so what the perks are? they are not listed...
  - A: Hi Raul! The perks are tucked in under the right column https://wefunder.com/brownrigg.hard.cider. underneath the investment terms. Just hover over "Investment Perks" to see the list. Thanks! CB
- Q: Just invested. Am I still able to name one of the tanks? ^_^
  - A: Hi! Yes, you can. Thanks for investing and I’ll be in touch for the name and design. Cheers!
- Q: Hi, I love the concept. Compared to may 2020, what is the current revenue and expenses per month? Has the business taken out any new loans in the last 6 months and if yes, what's the interest rate? How much cash is the business burning per month? When is the earliest you anticipate to begin payback? Thanks, Yehuda
  - A: Hi Yehuda! Thanks for your questions. Expenses have momentarily increased as we've on-boarded our two new 5 barrel brite tanks and have increased our juice orders to fill our oak barrels up with cider to mature and fill the kegs in our cooperage. The taproom redesign has begun as we'd like to take advantage of WA state's limitations on dining indoors and polish the space up for re-opening. No loans in the last 6 months and we've paid off the personal loans listed. Cash burn is at our expected rate -- we haven't hired staff yet and expenses are pretty set. We've got plenty of crowler cans and are primed for to-go service and outdoor operations starting in April/May. I can't quite set an early date for payback but the plan is to grow smart, stay lean and sell, sell, sell once things have opened up.
- Q: Hi, my apologies if i missed this already but do you guys have plans for national distribution?
  - A: Hi Croix, great question. Yes, we do. We are looking at 2021 to get canned cider options to market. That will allow us to start distributing out of WA state. Thanks!
- Q: Hey CB: I'm down in the Tacoma area and don't get up that way often. Is any of your product down this way? I'm a big fan and supporter of the local area distilleries, breweries, and wineries and will likely want to fine a way to support you but I like being able to buy what I invest in. Any spots down south here:-) Also, didn't see when the funding round would close... any idea when this opportunity closes? Thanks.
  - A: Hi John! Yes, we are on tap with our White Peach Baisl at the gorgeous new Tacoma taproom Cider & Cedar, www.ciderandcedar.com. I also had a keg of the same at Auburn's CRFT bottle shop for south of Seattle options. Funding closes the first week in December so there is still time to join if you like! Thanks!
- Q: Hi Christopher, are you currently cash flow positive? After the investment/buying the equipment, how long do you think you would breakeven? Also, is the early bird amount 60000 or 65000? Thank you :)
  - A: Hi Aaron, 60K for early. Sorry for my early typo. Was cash flow positive pre covid but we took a big hit in the wholesale kegs market. Things have been improving and we've increased our on-site to-go sales. Difficult forecasting but we are thinking 2rd quarter 2021 for the numbers to return.
- Q: What would you say your expected revenue is for the next few years assuming you can purchase the equipment and make the hires you need? Additionally, is the 5% revenue share just split between the potential $250k invested or is there elsewhere it can go? Thanks
  - A: Hi Jake, revenue forecasting is tricky but I'm expecting to increase sales to 1.5x our current numbers by years end and to continue to increase to 3x sales by end of quarter 2 2021 with combined (retail/wholesale) monthly numbers between 15K-20K. That 5% revenue share is just for investors. Thanks!
  - A: Hope that helps!
- Q: I am a little confused by the verbiage..it says payback multiple is 2.5 and further down it says 150% on top. Which one is it? If I am understanding correctly say if you invest say $10,000 you have the right to be repaid $25,00-is that correct? I am just going off the payback multiple question bubble when it says “ you invest $1000, and the payback multiple is 3X, you have the right to be repaid $3000 over the life of the agreement - your original $1000 plus another $2000.” Just clarifying-thanks!!
  - A: Hi Drew, that got me too. It is a little bit of a brain twister the way it's written but both are true. If you invest $1,000 (during the early bird time before the limit of $65K is raised) then your payout is $2500. That being 2.5X of $1,000. That can also be accurately described as 150% of $1,000. Or 1,000 x (1 + 150%) = 2,500. Just two ways of saying the same thing. After the early bird period it goes to 1.75X so, new math applies then. Thank you for your interest and your question!CB
- Q: Why this platform instead of a business loan?
  - A: Hi Brandi! We are a little too small to be considered for the usual Small Business Administration loan options.
- Q: Seeking update. Please share; overall view, status and challenge/wins so far. Thank you! 07/30/22. Hoping you have some update information to share. 2 nd request.
- Q: Considering the investment of $500, how much money will be returned and in how many months. What do you mean by plus 75% on top. After return of 100% principal, will the investor still be part of company for future exit or IPO. Do you have any such strategy or just returning the principal amount? You have mentioned there was disruption in 2020 and was expecting increase in revenue in 2021. Since we are moving towards close of May'21, can you please share the increase in revenue in comparison to 2020. Since early bird offer is closed so how much you are planning to raise as part of this round.
  - A: Hi Ashutosh, Thanks for your question. Only contributions of $1000 and above are eligible for the 1.75X revenue sharing opportunity. We may do a future raise on Wefunder for other efforts but this one is just the revenue sharing.
- Q: Chris, we got you at the $1K ... anything we need to do for that tier?Or will you reach out later? "Your name on a custom plaque to be displayed in our taproom and a special free growler full of small batch cider and 2 tickets to our release party for that batch. "
  - A: Hi Lance! Good to hear from you! Nope, you guys don't need to do anything yet. I'll verify the name(s) before the plaque is made and that will be in late April. As for the special release, I'm holding until we can actually have a party or do a series of smaller releases at the orchard. Really depends on covid restrictions so fingers crossed for a safe but big party!