Unpossible Mead

As he started his meadery, Unpossible Mead, Brian Galbreath began the renovation of a building in downtown Dwight, Illinois in October 2017. Unexpected issues with the building led to unexpected expenses. Thanks to the referral from the Dwight Economic Alliance, Galbreath met Amy Lambert, executive director of the Starved Rock Country Alliance SBDC. Lambert worked with Galbreath to establish a great relationship with a local banker. When it comes to cost overruns, it’s best to know how to package requests for additional construction funds.

The taproom opened to the public in September of 2018. Galbreath and his staff must know how to run a taproom perfectly. The location has maintained five stars on Google, Yelp and Facebook.

Then, in March of 2020, a perfect storm struck the business.

Complying with Governor Pritzker’s mandate to close the taproom dried up revenue. An investment in brewing equipment left Galbreath with mead making capacity he couldn’t use. After mentoring sessions with Lambert, Galbreath saved his business by brewing mead for a private label.

Thanks to a great banker and quick thinking, Galbreath plans to expand by establishing a taproom in a high traffic district. Working with Lambert, Galbreath has combed demographic data to select the location of the next Unpossible Mead location. Galbreath shares the SBDC with business friends routinely. “I introduced a farming friend to the SBDC. Now my friend is screaming the good news of the SBDC from the rooftops!”