At last week’s beer tweetup I met a ton of cool people. Some people I got to talk to for a long while, and others only a few minutes. I only got to talk to Matt Virzi for a few minutes, but in that short time I was captivated by the story he told about starting his own business: The Original Beer Cookie. I was so interested, that I asked Matt if he was willing to meet with me, have a beer, and talk more about his business. Last night my wife and I got together with Matt and his fiance Erica to do just that.
Matt invited us to join him at Armsby Abbey in Worcester. Armsby is a great restaurant and bar right on Main street. We like it because it has great vegetarian options. I personally love it because they have a sick beer selection and like 4 different cheese platters to choose from. A huge cheese selection and a monster beer list is pretty much how I picture heaven – I’m thinking God would make an awesome bar tender…great conversationalist I’m sure.
Matt has the heart of an entrepreneur. Before starting this business he held many different jobs. Most recently he worked as a financial advisory and then as a chef in a restaurant. He knew he wanted to work for himself, so all along he and Erica brainstormed business ideas. Then, in March of 2009 it all came together.
Matt got turned onto the craft beer scene in part due to some discussions he had with Matt Webster from DrinkaBetterBrew. He realized how quickly craft beer was growing in popularity, and got hooked himself.
So you might wonder how the idea for the beer cookie came about. Matt’s grandmother made some traditional Italian cookies, which were made with wine. In the beginning, Matt switched from wine to domestic beer. In their discussions, Mr. Webber suggested to Mr. Virzi that he might swap-out the wine for craft beer. BLAMO! The Beer Cookie we know today was born.
Once Matt had it in his head to start the business, there was no stopping him. Erica told us a hilarious story about how she came home from work one day to find Matt all dressed nicely. When she walked in the door, he gave her the “we need to talk” line, sat her down, and told her that he was done with his job and they were starting a business.
Matt and Erica definitely had a leg-up on starting their business. Matt’s parents built and ran a full-blown bakery in their basement for a number of years. The bakery closed-up shop a number of years back, and thus was prime for starting a new business. It took a few months to get the recipe right, but it all eventually came together. Beer Cookie launched and had three flavors: Original, Pepper, and Red Hot. Initially, sales of Red Hot and Pepper were lackluster, and the lines were dropped in favor of focusing on the best-selling original recipe.
Beer Cookies are made exclusively with Berkshire Traditional Pale Ale. Starting in May of this year, you can expect to see Beer Cookies made with more and more Berkshire brews; eventually there will be a Beer Cookie for each and every Berkshire brew. Beer Cookies are mainly sold in liquor stores, however a few grocery stores are now carrying them. They are also available for purchase via the Beer Cookie website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
Matt and Erica work their asses off for the business. Matt’s full-time job is the business; Erica is a social worker and also manages the accounts for Matt. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday are baking days. Wednesday is packaging day. Thursday through Saturday are promotion/tasting/distribution days. If there is a Massachusetts-area beer event, you can be certain to find Beer Cookie there. Most recently, Matt attended the Beer Advocate extreme beer festival.
We had a killer time hanging out with Matt and Erica and we’re hoping we’ve made some new friends!
I love Beer Cookies, and Armsby Abbey. Next time you guys get out there (only 15 minutes from my house) let me know!!!