Meet Kuumba Smith | Director of Brewery Operations & Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kuumba Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kuumba, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The initial thought came when people started telling me how good my home brews were. I thought it was a plot to get free beer. Then I started hearing it more and more cross Dallas-Fort Worth. After the beers started to place well and actually win competitions, I knew I had something. It was still on the back burner for a little bit, then after a rough period at work, I realized I was busting my butt making someone else rich, when I can bust my butt for myself!”

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Although we are not officially operating just yet, out goal is to become one of the best breweries in north Texas. Our goal is high quality batches of beer for the local community. We aim to do this by dedicating our efforts towards high quality ingredients, quality production, quality individuals, and most importantly great beer. Smittox will serve as a your neighborhood hangout spot. We hope to promote diversity and inclusion in craft beer.

I’m most proud at being able to take steps to get closer to my dream of opening day. I’ve had several of my home brew recipes brewed commercially such the Short Order Porter that was brewed by Martin House and sold throughout major Texas markets. Just seeing the social media posts of people enjoying a beer you created or help create is a feeling that never gets old.

Smittox got where it’s at today by hard work and dedication to the craft. I listened to the feedback from others and took their constructive criticism to improve my recipes. I collaborated on a lot beers with many breweries in and out of Texas. This allowed me to learn from the business owners and the brewers about brewing commercially and most importantly how to run the business. Also, having a good support system at home is crucial. Without that, I don’t know how far this would have gone.

Was it easy, hell no. But if it’s something worth having in life, you’ll find a way to get it. It’s a grind, but it’ll be well worth it once the beer starts flowing.

The lessons learned? There’s a bunch. You need to surround yourself with like minded people who want to achieve the same goal. I also found out that all money isn’t good money and sometimes when people throw numbers at you, you have to be patient enough to see through the smoke. You quickly learn who is genuinely wanting to support the movement or who is looking for a quick buck. Another important lesson learned is be patient. Whenever you have a timetable in mind, go ahead and scrap that and let God’s plan take effect. Also, you have to not stress out about things you can’t control. It’s hard not to because your dream may be deferred, but it’s not worth having a panic attack over those things you have no control over.

I want Smittox to become a household name. The goal is to have our brand build an emotional connection with our audience. Smittox blends tradition, creativity, and boldness to produce an unmatched selection of local brews. Our brand (beers and merchandise) is a direct reflection of our love of music (predominantly hip hop), food, and travel. We also know there’s a big lack of diversity in craft, especially with ownership. My goal is kick down that door and create opportunities for other people of color to get into the craft beer industry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This one is a little tough, quite frankly I’ve become a bit of a homebody-boring person.

I would probably hit up some of the spots like the Perot Museum, African American Museum of Dallas, Reunion Tower, catch a sporting event such as the Mavs, Rangers, or Stars. No Cowboys lol.
Would definitely have to hit up some live music somewhere.

Since I’m opening a brewery, we are definitely going to hit up some of the local breweries like Odd Muse, Vector, Celestial, Funky Picnic, Neutral Ground, False Idol, Oak Cliff Brewing, Denton County Brewing. A road trip would definitely have to happen too. We’d hit up a few destination breweries like Jester King and Alstadt.

Another spot we can head over to would be Cidercade. For $12, you can play all the arcade games you want.

As far as food goes, Cattlelack, Hutchins, and Lockharts would be some places to grab some good bbq. Taste of the Islands in Plano has some good oxtails. Sky Rocket Burger is becoming one of my go to burger joints. The buffet at Afrah in Richardson is hard to beat. El Taxqueño Taquerìa, El Paisa, Mesero, Fershy Taco would be some of the spots for tacos and Mexican food. We would probably hit some random gas stations too. If we are feeling fancy, we’ll head over to Legacy West food hall or the Frisco Fresh Market..

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shout out my wife and son. They have been supporting me from day one. They have put up with my love and passion for craft beer since I brewed my first batch.

Website: smittoxbrewing.com

Instagram: @smittoxbrewing

Facebook: Www.facebook.com/smittoxbrewing.com