Page 8 June 5, 2014 TORRANCE TRIBUNE TerriAnn in Torrance A Can-Do Attitude and a Recipe for Success Inside the brewery, which Joel and Rich built themselves. tions and Joel created the recipe for the new beer while building the business. Joel also designed the space, built the furniture, created the ambiance, and conceived of all the artwork for their product. All this began in February 2009. They brewed their first batch of beer on September 1 of that same year. Joel reworked the recipe for their signature 24th Street Pale Ale and became the brewmaster. Rich told me he met Joel when they were teenagers when Joel was looking in the want ads for a broken electric guitar that he could afford so he could fix it and then teach himself how to play. A few years later Joel was good enough to play on stage. After that, Rich told me that he saw Joel at a family event and asked him what he was doing and he said he was buying broken camera equipment to fix and then film a surf movie – a documentary that he was going to direct and score. Two years later Joel was nominated at the surfer video awards for his documentary, “The Electric Mayhem.” “So when he says he going to rebuild this and make beer…I believed him. He has a reputation for doing what he says he is going to do, and doing it well,” said Rich. “Joel puts his own take on it [beer] and it is pretty much an artistic approach. If he is going to put his name on it – it has to be perfect. He doesn’t do mediocre work. The one thing he can’t do is sell beer and it is the one thing I am really good at. I have to represent a great product,” said Rich. I asked how they chose the name of their beer – “Strand.” Rich explained, “Joel and I talked about what connects the South Bay and it was that iconic bike path that runs technically from Malibu to Long Beach and beyond, known in the South Bay as the Strand. I have never heard a negative connotation connected with the strand. ‘Strand’ is the German word for ‘beach’ and technically we are beach brewed. . . .We just knew we were going to be in the By TerriAnn Ferren A couple weeks ago, I met a man who had started a business with his partner on little more than a dream. How did they do it? I drove to a small warehouse in south Torrance to meet with Rich Marcello, who along with his partner, Joel Elliott, own Strand Brewing Co. The smell of grain and beer brewing drew me to the warehouse where I met with Rich Marcello. Rich was born in Youngstown, Ohio but he spent his summers in Hermosa Beach. After college, Rich moved west and worked in the restaurant business for a decade and then left the ‘mainland’ and headed further west to Hawaii at age 29. I asked him why he moved to Hawaii and he said, “Surfing.” Got it. All those summers on the beach were now in his DNA. He worked nights at the restaurant and surfed during the day and it was in Hawaii where he met his future wife Jenni. Rich and Jenni moved to San Luis Obispo and were married August 9, 2008. Rich secured a job at a winery learning production, distribution, and sales; their lives seemed to be falling into place. In January 2009 Rich’s friend Joel Elliott called. Joel was a surfing buddy who had settled in Torrance, and the two had remained friends throughout the years. “He said he was going to do this brewery. I remember that day. I was shaving, looking in the mirror . . . and I remember thinking, how would we pull this off? So as I am driving to work, I get this call from Joel saying, ‘Hey, we are going to do this brewery, we need somebody that can sell it.’ He said, ‘Are you in?’ I asked him if I could be an owner. It was . . . a very risky opportunity - and we had just come out of this really bad time and I knew by saying yes my wife would have to leave her job. I actually said yes. And he said, ‘that’s it?’ And I said yes.” Rich and Jenni left SLO within a few months, headed for the South Bay to follow a dream. He did the preliminary public rela- South Bay somewhere,” said Rich. “We almost share a brain at this point. Like we have been married way too long,” laughed Rich. “I felt the market was heading toward this IPA [India Pale Ale] blend. It is usually higher in alcohol and a fuller, ‘hoppier’ flavor. We gathered information and our second beer, Beach House Amber, was born. I think our Amber beer is the best for food. . . . Now we can do up to twelve different beers. Some are double IPAs which are double the alcohol and even more aggressive on the hops; bigger, bolder, spicier, better flavor comes up with it. Joel is an amazing cook. His food is very balanced – his beer is very balanced.” Strand Brewing Co. has grown over the years, and Rich and Joel are looking forward to marking 5 years on September 2nd. Oct 17th 2009 is the anniversary of their first pour date – when their first pint was poured at a bar for money. Rich told me, “When we started Strand, I was recently married, had never owned a business and I had zero kids. Now, I am coming up on 6 years married, 5 years of owning the business, I have a 2 year old . . . and an 8 week old. . . . everything I learned, I learned by owning this business. It has made me such a better husband, dad: it’s prepared me for so many new challenges. It has taught me it isn’t always easy. It’s so fun too. It is the best time ever to be in beer in LA. I have to add this; there is no way when I look around that two people can do it. It is every bartender, every server, every bar manager, bar owner, every person that goes out and buys it. Every person is part of the success story.” As I left the Strand Brewing Co. warehouse at 23520 Telo Avenue, I was excited for these two young men. Joel Elliott and Rich Marcello were living their dream. These two entrepreneurs work hard and long, but keep their goal in focus. Entrepreneurs are everywhere. You can recognize them by the passion they have for what they do. Find out what YOU are passionate about and make a plan. Hard work still pays off. • Did you know, all Herald Publications staff members make it a point to do business with our advertisers? Check out our Facebook page for our new “Herald High Five.” Whenever you see a “Herald High Five” it’s a real testimonial from a Herald Staff member. ENJOY! “When we opened our restaurant three years ago, we turned to local news media to let our neighboring residents and businesses know we were here. Advertising in the Torrance Tribune has resulted in many of the loyal customers we have today.” Bert Sierra Owner of Tortilla Cantina The brewing process: where the brew is made. Photos by TerriAnn Ferren. Joel Elliott and Rich Marcello, owners of Strand Brewing Co.
Torrance 06_05_14
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