Charleston Nano Brewery From Kitchen Brew to Business

In this episode of the Kanawha Valley Hustlers podcast I’m in Elk City with Kenny and Jennifer Graley at Charleston Nano Brewery. I ask them to explain what it takes to keep a brewery running week to week.

They trace it back to home brewing in their kitchen. Jennifer pushed the setup out to the garage as the batches grew. Kenny felt the shift to “this is real” when he made the first payment on the building and then watched people show up after their first anniversary.

Their focus is a place that welcomes families. They talk about regulars travelers passing through, and how word of mouth works when people search for breweries on the road. They also point out the gap between what many people expect from light macro beer and what a small brewery puts on tap.

Kenny owns a mistake: not doing enough advertising early on. About a year and a half in, they leaned harder into promotion to build awareness that they exist and to pull people into this town. He also explains the advantage of a three-barrel brewhouse: smaller batches and frequent rotation, with dozens of beers possible.

For anyone starting a restaurant or venue, they push homework first: paperwork, regulations, and talks with owners who have done it before choosing a location. Their guiding rule is to stand behind the product and never release something they would second guess. They share their hours Thursday through Sunday and point people to their Facebook page, charlestonnano.com, and email list for events too.