Moonlight Meadery
A Vested for Growth Business Champion
MICHAEL FAIRBROTHER, OWNER (photo by Kevin Harkins)
Michael Fairbrother tasted his first mead in 1995. It was love at first glass.
The software executive and home brewer began making his own mead, a fermented mixture of honey, water and yeast, at night in his garage. By 2009, his “moonlighting” meads were grabbing tasters’ palates and craft beverage competition awards. When one of his meads was judged Best in Show over 350 other entries from across the globe at the New England Homebrew competition, he realized this might make a worthy business venture.
He quit his software job, officially opening Moonlight Meadery the following spring.
Fairbrother adds spices and fruit to create meads that appeal to his ever-changing tastes. Moonlight Meadery makes some 70 different flavors, each with its own complex character and names like Desire, Stiletto, and Indulge that make clear that women are Moonlight’s target demographic.
From its 6,000-square-foot facility in Londonderry, Moonlight produced 17,400 cases last year and has the capacity to produce more than 40,000. Fairbrother projects $2 million in sales this year.
Moonlight Meadery has expanded its distribution across the country—and the world. Its meads and ciders are available in 34 states, and exported to Australia, Japan, and China.
Fairbrother defines Moonlight Meadery’s success in two words: passion and determination.
“I would never want to make mead that I would never want to drink,” he said. His determination to be “the largest maker of craft meads in the world,” also spurs him. “I don’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer,” he said. “I look at ‘no’ as an opportunity to be creative.”
Fairbrother gives enormous credit for Moonlight Meadery’s success to his five employees and part-time tasting-room workers, as well as its use of premium ingredients. “It has to be quality first,” he said.
He also said teaming up with Vested for Growth has been a great asset. “More than just the ability to provide us with the capital we needed, they have offered guidance and support as we have grown over the past six years.”
No business is without challenges. For Moonlight Meadery, the accessibility of quality honey is just one example. “We use more honey than New Hampshire produces,” said Fairbrother, who also uses honey from ethically certified sources in Pennsylvania. And the wholesale price of honey is no small issue, since the meadery uses some 30,000 pounds annually.
Moonlight Meadery has reached several milestones in its short history. The company was named a finalist in the 2013 Samuel Adams “Brewing the American Dream—Pitch Room” competition for small businesses. It also has displays at New Hampshire State Liquor stores throughout the state and shelf space at N.H.’s Market Basket and Hannaford stores.
But the highlight of his business, he said, is “seeing the look on people’s faces when they try our mead for the first time—that’s why I keep doing this,” he said.
Vested for Growth: Creating business opportunity through innovative financing. Vested for Growth offers up to $1 million in risk-tolerant capital to fuel expansion of high-growing, high-margin companies. www.VestedforGrowth.com
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