With an impressive lineup of 35 beers, seltzers, ciders, 2 nitro beers, and 3 wines, Whit’s Craft is the first — and currently only — self-pour taproom in Greater St. Cloud. The taps — all of which feature Minnesota-made (or near Minnesota) beverages — are rotated frequently so visitors can experience beverages that they would otherwise have to travel across the state to sample. Whit’s Craft is a family-friendly environment and encourages everyone of all ages to participate in their trivia and game nights. While they have a selection of snacks available for purchase, they encourage you to sample the local, downtown food options; visitors can feel free to bring something in or have it delivered.
“We are proud to be housed in the historic Whitney Building, the original location of A G Whitney's Land Company in 1910. The original wood floors and ceiling tiles, along with the beautiful ornate safe door, are often admired by guests,” shared Co-Owner & CEO Rob Hartley.
Rob is a Military Veteran and lives in Zimmerman with his wife - and Whit’s Craft Co-Owner, Jean Hartley. “We wanted to open a business and liked the idea of supporting the revitalization of downtown St. Cloud. Originally, I started looking at the idea of opening a brewery, but once I read about the endless cleaning and sanitizing processes, I decided to look at a taproom instead. Some internet searches led me to the iPourit self-pour system, and we worked to make that happen here in St. Cloud.”
“Our focus is on bringing the best of Minnesota craft beers to our visitors. We work with about 5 distributors to source products that would otherwise require a long drive to sample. We also pick up kegs from breweries that don't distribute to the area, further expanding our unique beverage offerings. All our taps are sold on a per-ounce basis, allowing visitors to sample small amounts and discover their preferences.”
Whit’s Craft is not just a taproom; it's a hub for community engagement. “We’ve worked closely with Pantown Brewing since opening. Marty and his team have been super supportive of our business. We have also worked with Green Thumb by hosting a planting party so people were able to come in and create their own flower/plant arrangements. Backwards Bread in St. Cloud has also come in and sold their bread products and pretzels. Additionally, have worked with Jared Loberg, who has worked to bring in comedians from the region for Comedy Nights. We hosted a jewelry party with Endless August and provided them with gift certificates for donations. The local United Way and the Chamber of Commerce have also held various meetings here. We also supported the downtown Art Crawl by hosting a local artist,” explained Rob.
“Falcon Bank has been a tremendous supporter of our endeavor. They have been there since we started down this road, and we could not have done it without them. Barry Kirchoff with the Minnesota Small Business Development Center provided a huge amount of support at the start of our project. His guidance and knowledge of the St. Cloud area was invaluable.”
Though Rob & Jean own and operate Whit’s Craft, they’re both otherwise employed full-time. “We did this as a side gig and stay heavily involved each day. I order most of the beer and work with the distributors, while Jean handles the social media aspects, financials, and other supplies. We are fortunate to have a great manager, Mike Furer, who runs the business day to day. Mike coordinates most of the entertainment, handles the scheduling, deals with the deliveries and management of the iPourit system, creates the weekly trivia content, and keeps the customers happy. We are lucky to have found him, as we would not be as successful as we are without him!”
Like many businesses, getting their name out there and building awareness is tricky. “Many businesses downtown are closed on Mondays, but we have been stubborn and determined to remain open. We would like to provide a place for people to gather and enjoy themselves after work and maybe watch the Vikings play on Monday nights during football season! The challenge has been getting people in the door the first time. We really enjoy helping people use the system for the first time and giving them a tour of the taps. People soon realize how easy it is to use and are on their way to finding a new beverage they may not have tried before.”
Whit’s is great for any time of the year, six days a week. They have great outdoor seating this summer, so you can enjoy both sipping and sunshine. “We’re open 6 days a week but have to be closed on Sundays due to state laws requiring food service. We fully support other downtown restaurants as people are encouraged to have food delivered, or they can carry it in. We have menus from many of the places nearby to help with that. We are a family-friendly environment and have snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available.”
If you’re looking for a fun night out, an afternoon happy hour, or just an idea of what beverages Minnesota has to offer, check out Whit’s Craft!
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