7th Settlement Brewery uses unique community support funding technique, asks locals to grow its hops

Raise your glasses. GM David Boynton and co-brewers Josh Henry and Nate Sephton lift a pint to 7th Settlement beer at their soon-to-be headquarters on 47 Washington St. in Dover, N.H.

In Dover, N.H., construction is ongoing on the state’s first “community-supported brewery.” It’s called the 7th Settlement Brewery, and the aim of this Garrison City craft brewhouse and restaurant is to support a local economy with socially uplifting, environmentally responsible and great tasting beer. How’s it plan to do all that? Well, the brewery has developed a unique community-supported business model that brings locals into the business, using locally sourced ingredients for beer and food, local capital for funding and local people as customers.

The brewery is sort of a beer version of a community supported agriculture (CSA)-style farm. Customers can buy a “share” from the brewery which can come in the form of a gift card, discount and/or other 7th Settlement goodies. For instance, “The Founders Mug Club” is a donation of $1,000, and the buyer receives a Founder’s Mug and is entitled to discounted beers at the brewery for a certain period of time (at least a few years). It’s a clever community initiative that keeps getting smarter. Now the soon-to-be-opened brewery is looking for residents who might be interested in growing hops in their backyard to be used in the establishment’s beers this fall.

According to article on Fosters.com, Dave Boynton, director of Seacoast Local and now the general manager of 7th Settlement, has received packages of hops seeds and he is asking residents to stop by the restaurant to pick up a few seeds, grow and harvest the hops and then return to the restaurant this fall to taste what they produced. But that’s not all the local sourcing 7th Settlement is involved with. We quote the article:

While Boynton and his brewers, Josh Henry and Nate Sephton, are still constructing the brewery, they have teamed up with Heron Pond Farm out of South Hampton and have made their location a new CSA pick-up location. CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, is a farmer-consumer partnership where members make a commitment up front to a farm for an entire growing season by buying a share in the season’s harvest, according to Heron Pond Farm’s website.

Shares range from $325 to $1,100 depending on how much you buy and can be picked up in several locations, including 7th Settlement on Mondays from 3 to 7 p.m. … By late this fall, Boynton said growlers from the brewery will also be included in the CSA packages. Local grains from farms will also be used in the restaurant and for the production of their beers.

We’ll keep you updated on this cool concept brewery as it comes online.