Homebrew supply venture starting out online

If there’s one thing homebrewers love to do – other than brew, of course – it’s talk about beer and the process of making it. This extends to owners and staffers of homebrew supply outlets, nearly all of which are, themselves, recreational fermentationists. Walk into any such establishment in America and in no time you’re bound to find yourself in a lengthy conversation about yeast strains, fermentation temps or any number of technical brewing topics. Such overt passion on both sides of the sales counter has been key to individual homebrewer growth since Jimmy Carter legalized the DIY hobby in 1978.

Having benefited from sharing of information and successful methodologies over their combined 44 years as homebrewers, San Diegans Mark Zanfardino and Jose Dias realize this. As such, they plan to make customer interaction as much of a focus area as inventory refinement with their new business, Homebrewers Mercantile. Eventually, they plan to have a brick-and-mortar store, but for now they aim to form the basis for long-term, two-way communication with their customers via an e-commerce platform that will allow for an immediate launch and expedient service to California-based homebrewers.

“The e-commerce store provides an opportunity to build our brand and establish our place in the market while we prepare to enter a physical retail space,” says Dias, an IT professional who began homebrewing in 2012. “It will also allow us to continue to work our day jobs while we manage the online market, while a physical space will require a physical presence during the day.”

Dias has been homebrewing with Zanfardino, a 31-year veteran of their shared hobby, for many years. Over that span, they have won awards at numerous competitions. They have also teamed up with local operation, Mission Brewing, on multiple occasions. The first instance came in 2022 as part of San Diego Beer News’ annual Homebrew Summer program, which pairs San Diego County brewers with amateurs to produce pro-am versions of the latters’ recipes. The duo’s Homebrew Summer recipe was for a Belgian-style golden strong ale called “Devon’s Bane” (a nod to former Pizza Port Solana Beach pub brewer Devon Randall), a portion of which was aged in barrels and released under the handle “Devon’s Blessing”.

Rounding out the Homebrew Mercantile team is Kelley Zanfardino, a human resources professional of 35 years who is chiefly responsible for the operations side of the business.

“We share a deep love for the craft and desire to give other brewers – both beginners and experienced – more options, better resources and a stronger community,” says Mark. “More than just selling supplies, we want to share what we’ve learned, help others grow in the hobby and make homebrewing more accessible for everyone.”

That said, supplies will be of the utmost importance, particularly in Homebrew Mercantile’s current web-only form. Dias says they intend to initially focus on ingredients and smaller tools that can be easily and affordably shipped, first throughout California then eventually to other states. They also want to carry things that are important but not necessarily available at most homebrew supply outlets, such as gaskets and other small items. Dias and Zanfardino have thus far curated an inventory of products they have personally used and believe in, a sentiment that also extends to their online store.

“We’ve spent a lot of time building a website that we would want to use ourselves,” says Dias. “We have the ability to group grains into recipes, mill them for you, and you can order in pounds or ounces. The site even automatically rounds up to the next ounce for you.”

Larger products such as kettles, mash tuns and conical fermenters will have to wait until the trio opens a physical location with the space necessary to house that inventory. That said, Dias says the company currently has a pair of refrigerators that would make great fermentation units. 

“One of the things about craft-beer that we find most attractive is the community within the industry; the desire to help one another, to collaborate on beers,” says Mark. “A rising tide lifts all ships, and we want to contribute to that community ethos.”