Beer for Water
Where did the idea for Cape Commons originate?
It was one of those moments. I was walking, beer in hand, along the beach on Sanibel Island. It was Christmas break junior year. I was looking out over the water. "Beer… ocean…. alcohol… water," I thought. "Bring those two things together." Most people in developed countries are in such a position of affluence to enjoy alcoholic beverages, when more than a billion people lack access to water (and sanitation) in developing countries. Water is the most integral part of beverages. That was the eureka moment.
What's your model?
My friend and cofounder, Victor Bartash, and I wrote our first business plan in a haunted apartment that we were renting in San Francisco during our internships the summer before senior year. We decided that we were going to brew beer, and we knew there was going to have to be an element of social math involved. We’ve now arrived at our batch for project model, in order to give between $800 and $660 dollars for each rainwater catchment tank in Kerala, India. It breaks down to one liter of beer providing four to six liters of water, depending on batch and project.
How did Brown prepare you?
Junior year Vic and I really came together and realized the opportunity to do something of our own design. We had so many resources at our disposal and inspiring friends around us to push us forward. Brown allowed us to tailor our curriculum for the last two years to Cape Commons.
We created a GISP called Brewing and Sustainability through the Environmental Studies department. The whole reason for that course was to learn how much water is used in the brewing process and how we could theoretically create a closed loop system. Brown was our first incubator.
What could Brown never have taught you?
We’ve been talking to TD Bank about a construction loan. It’s pretty great that they will take on a start up like us even though there are so many sectors of business that we don’t have any experience in. You just don’t know what you don’t know.
What’s a normal day like now?
We have visited pretty much every brewery in New York City. We constantly negotiate terms with realtors and are on the look-out for leads. We research anything under the sun that could be relevant to our cause and work out of coffee shops most days. One day we’ll decide, "Let’s learn all we can about the Clean Water Act." The next day we’ll study every neighborhood and their demographics. We know New York City zoning laws like the back of our hand.
Why are you guys sticking with it?
The best and only reason that we’re still doing this is because we believe in the concept so much, and because Vic and I have always been there for each other and been able to pull ourselves through. If you don’t have a business partner or a best friend who is willing to do that, then you’re going to be totally out of luck when you hit the first bump in the road.
Lily Ricci ’13 and Victor Bartash ’13 founded Cape Commons Brewery, the first brewery ever established as a benefit corporation, in 2013. Armed with a tasty recipe created by Lily’s brother, Jack; a recently-hired brew master, Christian; and $50,000 dollars won at the Mass Challenge pitch contest, Lily and Vic have teamed up with Rainwater for Humanity to brew beer to fund clean water projects in Kerala, India. All they need is an address.