DENVER - Brewers at Ratio Beerworks are toasting neighborly niceties.
The brewery closed it's doors after finding a mistake on it's original state licensing paperwork (2015). When it became clear that the company would have to file new paperwork, workers were faced with uncertain employment.
"When you're a small brewery, so much of your business comes in through the taproom," Owner/Brewer Jason zumBrunnen said. "About half of our staff of 23-plus people, works through the taproom. All that income is derived from sales and tips over that bar. Everything else can kind of be worked out but when you're this small, those can be big hits."
That's when a creative solution was hatched, allowing River North Arts District to step-in and run the taproom as a non-profit.
“Ratio is a pillar of RiNo. By holding a series of non-profit events and renting out their tap room and patio, we felt our organization could help make the best out of a bad situation for Ratio,” RiNo Art District President Jamie Licko said.
As a non-profit, the group is allowed to rent the taproom space, buy beer from Ratio's distributor and register Ratio staff as RiNo Art District volunteers.
Licko says the group will help for as long as it needs to. zumBrunnen thinks it could take between 20-45 days for the new paperwork to go through. He's prouder than ever to be a part of the River North neighborhood.
"We're part of Curtis Park, we're attached to Ballpark, we've got Cole, Globeville and all these neighborhoods," said zumBrunnen. "All these organizations have reached out in support and written to the city. Neighbors I don't even know very well have stopped me on the street to ask how they can help. The humanity of this neighborhood has been a real blessing in a time that's been very stressful for the business."