16 Mile names tank after Tigani brothers
16 Mile Brewing Company owners Chad Campbell and Brett McCrea want to honor those who've helped their company grow in a tough economy. On Jan. 24, the brewery thanked Steve and Greg Tigani, owners of Standard Distributing, for their contributions by naming a tank after the brothers.
“It's the team, the people who we've worked with that have brought a disproportionate amount of weight to our product in this market,” said McCrea. “And that disproportionate amount of weight has shown not only our sales, but it also shows in the recognition we get when people come to this state and go back home and take our product with them.”
16 Mile grew 165 percent in Delaware last year, thanks in part to an expansion project completed in January 2012 that will allow the brewery to produce more beer over the next few years. The brewery is now brewing at a rate of 3,000 barrels annually.
“We love to get up and pursue the option of making beer, great beer we hope people enjoy. We love every bit of it," Campbell said about crushing grain, creating the keg tags and honoring Delaware history through beer. "What I enjoy most is the people within these walls every day to make this happen.”
Greg Tigani said he fondly remembers his first visit to the Georgetown brewery, when the company made its product in a tight-quartered building where the bar had only a few stools. He said he had no doubt the company would make it.
“When we met Brett and Chad, they were obviously committed and had a great work ethic … and a certain mental toughness that I think it takes to become a success in a very competitive business that is the beer business these days,” he said, pointing to the company's triple digit growth. "It's been quite the phenomenon.”
The Tiganis are among an elite group at 16 Mile. As a young company, the brewery has honored one other person on one of its tanks. Last January, 16 Mile named a tank after Philadelphia beer writer George Hummel, who gave the small brewery national recognition and played a part in its Delaware Oyster Stout.
Claus Hagelman, 16 Mile's director of sales and marketing, said Standard's contributions since the beginning could not go unrecognized.
“They made a big commitment into the brand at the very time that the owners of 16 Mile made a commitment to make that next big move to 6 packs and bring in all that support they needed to be able to grow,” he said.
He said naming a tank after someone is a very special honor, “It's a visual reminder to us every day.”
Greg Tigani said the honor is not wasted on him or his staff.
“Quite frankly, we've been around for awhile, and we get some awards – and they're all usually cold and hard, based on if you hit a number … or if you spend a certain amount of money, but there is something very warm and heartfelt about this,” he said. “It's a touching, actually, to be thought of as important to the brewery's success. It's an honor; an honor I didn't expect.”
