Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year: Counter Weight Brewing Company

Industry: Manufacturing Top Executive: Matt Westfall, Owner Headquarters: Cheshire Website: www.CounterWeightBrewing.com Q&A talks to Matt Westfall, owner of Cheshire-based Counter Weight Brewing Company, which makes Belgian ales, German lagers and American IPA beers. Its core brands include Crucial Mass, Headway, Voided and Workhorse Pilsner. How did you get into this business? What motivated you? I got into the beer business after learning to make beer at home. The process was something that I could share with people that they enjoyed, and was very rewarding. Dedicating myself to the business after a formal brewing education was the only career I could imagine.  How long have you been in business? Counter Weight Brewing Company has been in business for five years and began after my 12 years in the beer industry. Describe your target customer. Our target customer is anyone who wants to explore and experience thoughtfully produced beers. Whether that be a beer inspired by tradition or innovation, we aim to accomplish both.  Looking into the future, where do you see your business in five years? We hope to be in a position where our team is continuously creative while ensuring that the quality of our products is ever evolving. We hope to always be working to improve our working environment, grow employee compensation and provide great benefits. What has been your biggest accomplishment? I think our biggest accomplishment has been forming a thoughtful team focused on quality, consistency, customer service and teamwork. They have allowed us to achieve Counter Weight’s goals every single day.  How have you handled strategic change in your business? Sticking to our guiding principles has helped to keep us on the right track. As new challenges present themselves, we look at each challenge, first and foremost, by evaluating how we can find our way through while always maintaining quality, value, service and a thoughtfully-curated experience for guests and customers alike.