The Koilor brothers, who were raised in West Philadelphia, started out in 2016 by home brewing their beer. After years of perfecting their craft, and sampling their brews at public events, the duo garnered attention when they joined forces with Harris Family Brewery and Double Eagle Malting to collaborate on the Black is Beautiful beer at Callowhill’s Love City Brewing. More than $9,000 in proceeds was raised and donated to support Black Lives Matters.
“The more we got into the brewing industry, the more we realized the lack of Black brewers and Black owned breweries,” Richard Koilor said.
“There has never been a Black-owned brewery in Philadelphia and we want to make that happen.”
The brothers are currently talking to potential investors and searching for the ideal location for their brick-and-mortar site.
“We want a good location where we can sort of be part of the community and grow with the community in any way that we can,” Mengistu Koilor explained.
He said that it’s been challenging to secure banking capital for their venture.
“We’re a startup and banks view us — especially because we’re in the market that we’re in – as a very high risk business,” Mengistu Koilor said.
“It’s really getting the banks comfortable with our business model, as well as us having some sort of funding underneath our belt, so we can go to the table with some leverage.”
He said bringing the beer to the marketplace enables the brothers to build their brand awareness and raise money toward their overall goal.
Two Locals’ Nubian and Prolific beers are available for purchase online or at Craft Hall at 901 N. Delaware Ave. on Fridays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The beers will be available for delivery through the BierMi app and for in-store purchase at area retailers including Bottle Bar East, BEER Love, The Bottle Shop, Bella Vista Distributors, Bloomsday Café, Pinocchio’s Beer Garden, Bryn Mawr Beverage, Swarthmore CO-OP and Local 44 Bottle Shop.
Two Locals Brewing Company releases will also be coming to Morgan’s Pier, Parks on Tap, Lola’s Garden, Harper’s Garden, Juno and The Garden at Cherry Street Pier.
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