Did you know that a Buffalo NY company is North America’s, and possibly the world’s, leading distributor of bar foot rails?
A year ago, the night of the Buffalo Rising holiday party, I met the founder of KegWorks – David Rivers. It took me a year, but I finally made the time to visit KegWorks on Military Road. Fortunately, David was available to answer a few questions that I had regarding the nature of his business. Had I just walked around, snapped a few pictures, taken some notes and written a short piece on this fascinating business, I would be doing the founder (and reader) a huge injustice.
The KegWorks Store is actually one entity in a portfolio that David started from his Buffalo apartment back in 1998. The parent company is named “Dot Com Holdings of Buffalo, Inc” – DCHB. In order of launch, DCHB currently includes: www.KegWorks.com, www.LineLogic.com, The KegWorks Store and www.BehindTheBar.com.
Led by David and CEO Tom McManus, DCHB has about 45 full time employees and is 100% locally owned and operated.
Successful companies expand, innovate and get involved with the local community. The KegWorks store is not only an extension of the website, it is a solution center of sorts. The KegWorks team considers themselves “subject matter experts” that often help local bars spec out their draught systems. Getting KegWorks involved early on usually saves money and headaches.
The bar foot rails are custom bent in house. Whenever possible, KegWorks uses local service providers to powder coat, polish and finish the rails. The rails are used locally (recently – Sear, Toutant), shipped all over the USA (including to a number of sport stadiums) and sold all over the world. Check out a cool short video on the bar rail process:
Local bars and restaurants also love having a one-stop shop that they can visit for their huge selection of bitters, cocktail mixers and garnishes. In addition, they support numerous local artisans by selling their handmade items in the store and online. KegWorks also supports our local breweries by selling their branded merchandise.
The day I popped by they had just finished rearranging the store in order to match their brand, and showcase the recently launched website www.BehindTheBar.com. See more here.
Apparently, the team is looking to segment their beer and craft cocktail offerings.
I also want to mention that the retail store is a small sampling of what is offered online. Behind the Bar makes available one-off and bulk orders of thousands of items that support the preparation, service, and consumption of cocktails, spirits, and wine. Behind the Bar carries everything from small-batch shrubs and Boston shakers to brandy warmers and Spanish porrons. The site has one of the largest selections of cocktail bitters in the world.
Who wouldn’t like a holiday gift from KegWorks or BehindTheBar? Now is the perfect time to pop by the store or visit online. Want a perfect stocking stuffer for the cocktail enthusiast? How about a jar of Luxardo cherries? The Luxardo cherry is candied with its own Marasca syrup. The delectable plump, pitted cherries provide a fresh, fruity kick to any cocktail.
The company that started out selling Kegerator conversion kits online currently grosses more than $15 million per year. They also donate to the Compass House and Friends of the Night. It’s local success stories like Dot Com Holdings of Buffalo, Inc that should inspire all of us to do something great. A visit to their store, and you will see why.
I had no idea.