RAYTOWN, Mo. — Crane Brewing in Raytown, like so many other small businesses in the metro, has had a difficult year.
"It's been a roller coaster, I mean it's the best way I can describe to people," co-founder and co-owner Chris Meyers said. "We still don't know what's going to happen next. One of our biggest sources of revenue, obviously, is working with bars and restaurants, and they're hurting the worst right now. And we're not in too much different of a place you know we're able to distribute our beers, but as far as the taproom goes, we're not getting to see our friends and regulars like we used to. We've cut back our hours for winter."
They're adopting the mantra "buy local, or bye local."
"The biggest things we asked for people to support local, obviously, local beer is a big thing it's the best way you can get the freshest beer possible," Meyers said. "And it's a direct, you know, impact on your on the economy here. We've got an online store, most breweries our size do, if you're at the store and you're grabbing some beer, you know, try and grab something local. But our website, social media is a great way to follow all of our new releases every week."
One of those new releases helps another local organization - proceeds from Crane's "Tikkun Olam" beer will go towards Harmony Project KC.
"It's a mixed fruit milkshake New England IPA. This is something that we enjoy brewing...but we were kind of sitting back together and realizing we really, kind of closing out this year, wanted to do something really positive," Meyers said. "Part of our initiative, the Crane Cares program, means us kind of working with another local organization, and my partner Michael actually came up with the name he described a phrase, Tikkun Olam, to us. It translates loosely into repair the world, and that's kind of what we feel like you're in need right now."
The phrase means more than just a partnership.
"This has been a tough year for everybody," Meyers said. "I think there's been more division, obviously a lot more isolation. And so we kind of want people to kind of recognize and embrace each other you know embrace our differences but figure out a way that we can come together and bring 2021 to be a little bit more positive."
Meyers revealed the beer's ingredients and the idea for the partnership.
"We've got strawberry, guava, passion fruit, pomegranate, it's nice and rich. The idea is that you've got all these complex flavors they come together they meld into something really beautiful," he explained. "So we chose Harmony Project KC because they do really great work with kids getting instruments in their hands and especially on like a band or orchestra level, it's the same idea, you get all these parts together and really create something special."
We've created a Facebook group, We're Open Kansas City, where members of the community can post businesses serving their community.
