Pint-sized no more!
A Beloved Prospect Lefferts Gardens brewery is raising funds to expand out of its quaint Nostrand Avenue location and into spacious new digs with a full-sized commercial kitchen.
DaleView Biscuits and Beer has been feeding the parkside neighborhood with its southern-style biscuits and inventive craft beer since 2018. The owner and brewmaster says he is looking to expand so DaleView can increase its food production, start wholesaling its mouth-watering gluten-free biscuits, and expand its taproom.
“I’m looking for another location with a full commercial kitchen so we can start doing some wholesaling,” said Chris Gandsy.
To help finance the expansion, Gandsy is crowdfunding through the investment service Mainvest, which allows community members to invest in the business and receive a revenue-sharing note which will entitle them to a certain percentage of the business’s future revenue. Gandsy has raised $28,000 so far toward a $75,000 goal.
While many eateries are facing an uncertain future due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, Gandsy says expanding will only prove beneficial in the long run because it will open up the possibility of creating new revenue sources that don’t require having guests on the premises — like wholesale.
“The benefit of having a gluten-free food that people really clamor over and really want again and again is it’s a growth opportunity — that’s what we have,” Gandsy said.
In addition to raising funds for an expansion, the brewery is raising capital through sales of its “My Skin is Black” beer to start a paid internship program for brewers of color. Gandsy says he hopes the program — which would be held in partnership with the New York State Brewers Association — will open doors to people of color in an overwhelmingly white industry.
“The lack of diversity in beer is due to the lack of exposure,” he said. “Being able to expose people to brewing, working the back-of-house, front-of-house, all the different aspects of working in the brewery, gives access and helps breed more interest in the craft beer world from people of color.”
But, Gandsy’s’ plan to expand doesn’t mean he’s leaving Prospect Lefferts Gardens — he says the Nostrand Avenue location isn’t going anywhere.
“That’s the baby,” he said of his flagship location.
Daleview Biscuits and Beer (1170 Nostrand Ave. between Rutland Road and Fenimore Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, (347) 240–5110, www.biscuitsandbeer.nyc). Open Thurs-Sun, 12-7 pm.
Editor’s note: This story first appeared on BrooklynPaper.com
