Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Cendrowski.
Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve been exploring the world of craft beer since my early 20s and co-founded Fireforge Crafted Beer, a brewery, taproom and biergarden in downtown Greenville, SC, in 2018 with my husband, business partner (and Fireforge head brewer), Brian.
While building a career in marketing communications and business development, I was curious about emerging beer styles, and classic styles from around the world. Anytime I could, I’d freelance write about craft beer, pitch stories and interview different folks around South Carolina who were opening breweries. I was also home-brewing small batches of beer with Brian. On the weekends we were cooking from scratch, home-brewing, traveling and visiting breweries, attending and helping with beer festivals, as well as building friendships within the craft beer community.
Over time, our small batches of beer got better and better. Brian and I rarely brewed the same beer twice because we loved variety. Fast forward to continuing to build relationships within the craft beer and food community, we eventually decided to go for it and began writing a business plan for a brewery, raising money, and searching for the right space. It took four years, yet we were finally able to open the doors while on fumes in the summer of 2018.
Looking back, I can’t believe how time has flown by. We set out to become a community gathering space with fun events, live music, and cultural festivals, while serving up an array of house-made beers and a thoughtful guest beverage line-up, along with delicious food that folks are surprised was made by a brewery.
We’re just as proud of our food as we are of our beer. People say you’ll taste the best Reuben of your life at Fireforge. We make our own brisket pastrami in house. The sandwich is also on the Unofficial Eugenia Duke’s Mayo Food Tour. Speaking of mayo, we secured 1st place two years in a row for Best Tomato Sandwich at the Traveler’s Rest Farmers Market Tomato Sandwich Taste Off!
Brian and I could not have done this without the amazing team that’s grown slowly over the past eight years – and we’re all growing together. It takes so many amazing people to do what we do – we’re throwing a party (in different ways and for different people) every day.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In the moment, it feels like we’re on a dirt road that hasn’t been graded in decades and there’s a sign that says, “4x4s Only.” However, looking in the rear view mirror through the distance of time, while our road has been winding with lots of hills, it looks smoother than it was.
What Fireforge has evolved into is much more complicated than we initially planned for. In reality, we’re running five business models in one. We’re a manufacturing brewery, restaurant, event space, music venue, and festival ground. At the heart of the business is hospitality and entertainment – we have to pay close attention to the details and mindsets needed to build a unique, warm, welcoming and consistent environment for our team members and guests alike.
It’s been a difficult past few years for many in our industry, and it has been hard to watch friends and colleagues with other breweries, restaurants, and retailers close for a variety of reasons. Often, founders have reached the limit of their risk tolerance or simply get tired and can’t keep pushing forward. Taking care of oneself and creating an environment in which others feel empowered to take care of themselves is so important.
Another challenge is as our city grows, it’s becoming more difficult for small, independently-owned businesses to be able to afford to buy or lease real estate in a landscape surrounded by larger, corporate brands and multi-location chains coming in. We’re very grateful to be a few blocks off Main Street in Greenville, so close to the city center, however worry about getting priced out down the road.
We’ve been impressed with Fireforge Crafted Beer, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, yet mainly grew up in SC. Going back to visit family over the years, I was introduced not only to OG beer culture (back when “craft beer” was called “microbrews”) as well as a bevy of culturally-themed festivals like Italian Fest, Irish Fest, Oktoberfest, and Summerfest, a giant two-week musical festival. Celebration, you could say, has been in my bones.
What wasn’t necessarily planned, but what has emerged at Fireforge is a desire to create something new, or develop a new take on something old. Our annual festivals, such as Oktoberfest, continue to grow. In 2023, we hosted our first-ever Polish Fest, the first we know of in Upstate SC – and possibly SC as a whole. What ensued (besides midday purchasing of all remaining kielbasa and pierogies within a 10-mile radius because we were running out of what we’d made from scratch), attendees were not only of Polish heritage, but also Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak, Lithuanian, and even Russian – all coming together to eat, drink and be merry together. It was an emotional experience to witness such a sense of community despite global turmoil.
Our latest new festival is Italian Fest in November, as well as continuing to hone our anniversary weekend celebration, ForgeFest, in June.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fireforge.beer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fireforgebeer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fireforgebeer
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fireforge-crafted-beer
- Twitter: https://x.com/fireforgebeer – @fireforgebeer
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@fireforgebeer
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fireforge-crafted-beer-greenville
