HELP JEREMY KENNY

LAUNCH HIGHER BAR

For 13 years, Jeremy Kenny has offered the best in the Berkshires from behind the bar. Now he plans to bring the best of the bar right to you! Jeremy has extensive knowledge of wine, spirits, cocktails, and the beverage industry as a whole, and has garnered a reputation as one of the area’s premier hospitality workers. Now, Jeremy is launching HIGHER BAR, a unique mobile beverage experience.

WHAT HIGHER BAR WILL DO

• provide professional and certified bartending services paired with a unique, vintage mobile bar to bring any event to a whole new level

• offer wine & spirits tastings and beverage services at community and private events

• create a curated line of premium cocktail mixers & juice blends, salts, garnishes, syrups, and more

• establish a brick & mortar and online retail operation providing barware, glassware, and our own line of products

HOW IT ALL WORKS

HIGHER BAR will debut as a custom-made tap truck, capable of pouring a selection of sparkling wine, white wine, red wine, beer, specialty cocktails, cider, kombucha, cold brew coffee, and more. This setup is perfect for family gatherings, barbecues, bridal showers, cocktail receptions, corporate events, birthdays, and beyond!

HIGHER BAR additionally plans to widen its impact after the tap truck is established, by offering full bar services from an additional future vehicle. This vehicle will be capable of serving multiple specialty cocktails, including our barrel-aged creations, wine, beer, and anything that goes in a glass!

Every staff member will be certified in safe alcohol service practices. Our operation will be fully insured with both General Liability & Liquor Liability Insurance.

HIGHER BAR will be maintaining our own catering and storage facility, allowing us to provide the finest offerings and selection of products at events, including fresh-pressed juices, custom garnishes, our own gourmet bloody mary mix, custom syrups & bitters, hand-made craft ice cubes, barrel-aged concoctions, infusions, and more.

TARGETED EVENTS

The Berkshires are a beautiful place to celebrate! Our operation will provide packaged options for any event:

• wedding cocktail hour
• backyard BBQs
• birthdays and gatherings
• anniversaries
• graduations
• family reunions
• holiday celebrations
• corporate/employee appreciation events
• wine & spirits educations and tastings
• local public events

FUNDING NEEDS

Our biggest ticket items to get rolling will be our initial facility costs and our first mobile bar:

• First mobile unit customization & buildout: $37,000

• Enclosed storage and transport trailer: $9,000

• Commercial Facility Costs: Because we will be processing fresh juices, mixes, garnishes, bottling products, and more, our facility will require approval by the local Board of Health. This means non-permeable floors and walls that are easily cleaned, sufficient plumbing access for a 3-bay sink, hand washing sink, and prep sink, and sufficient electrical access for required refrigeration/freezers and processing equipment. While this cost will vary based upon the location of the facility and the pre-existing infrastructure, we are planning to require at least $24,000 in improvements (plumbing, electric, flooring, construction, etc) and initial leasing costs.

• Facility Equipment: $10,000 (Refrigeration $4,000, Freezers $3,000, Ice Machine & Storage Units $3,000)

RISKS & CHALLENGES

With every new venture, there are risks and challenges to overcome. During our extensive experience in the beverage and hospitality industry, we have fostered relationships and gained the skills and contacts to bypass many of the daily issues that may arise. We have long-established relationships with vendors, local producers, event coordinators, rental companies, caterers, and others.

Our biggest two hurdles come right in the beginning:

• Finding & preparing a commercial location that suits our needs: Our small kitchen/production space will require approval by the local Board of Health. Finding an affordable space to lease with non-permeable floors and walls, ample electricity for refrigeration and equipment, and easily expandable water and drainage is no easy thing in our area. Ideally, this space will also allow for a storefront for our retail operation, allowing us to be less reliant on the seasonality of the Berkshires and the event industry as a whole.

• State licensing: Because our operation will expand in stages, not all of our targeted licenses are required immediately. That being said, state-regulated licensing, such as an ABCC license can be a long process, and at certain stages will be out of our hands. Fortunately, a large part of our operation can run without requiring all of these licenses immediately.

OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

• Join our mailing list online to stay up to date with our progress! http://www.higher-bar.com
• Share this campaign with your friends, family, and the world!