Meet Ray Ricky Rivera | Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ray Ricky Rivera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ray Ricky, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The idea gradually evolved over time. In the beginning. I was looking to fill a void for live music in the local market. My initial thought was to open a bar & grill establishment that would showcase bands I had been managing, as well as helping to develop a presence for other local talent.

As I became more involved in the homebrewing community, I realized there were no local breweries or brewpubs in the city of Norwalk. That realization gave way to the idea of moving beyond a bar & grill business model, to being involved in the production and distribution of craft beer.

Once I fleshed out the business model it became a matter of figuring out how to put everything together.

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?
Norwalk Brew House is an independent Latino led beer company. Our model is unique in that we do not have a physical brick and mortar brewery. Instead, we partner with existing BIPOC owned production breweries to contract brew, package and self distribute our products.
This allows us to support like minded companies while distributing business across various micro breweries.

We’re really excited to continue our work with community organizations. We have partnered with breweries and nonprofits as a way to leverage beer in support of important social initiatives. As Latinos who come from working class communities, we have an obligation to give back. Especially, when doing business in underserved communities.

The NBH brand is dedicated to fostering and developing other BIPOC owned beer startups. The craft beer industry at large lacks diversity in ownership, and  NBH looks to help bridge the gap in the Los Angeles beer industry.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s so many great places to visit in Los Angeles! A week isn’t enough to take it all in.

There’s a few staples that everyone should experience at least once.

Day 1 – We’d catch an evening concert at the Hollywood Bowl And to pre-game, we’d spend hours digging for music and movies at the world famous Amoeba Music in Hollywood.

Day 2 – No trip to LA would be complete without picking up some pastries from Porto’s Cuban bakery. And since we’re already there we might as well stay for lunch.

Day 3 – Venice Beach is always a fun visit. We can stroll the pier or hang out on the beach. Or do both.

Day 4 – The birthplace of LA is always a must do – Placita Olvera has it all. Grab some tacos, shop for a pair of huaraches made by hand by actual Mexicans. Snap a pic with a sombreo next to a fake donkey, because why not? Then take a stroll across the street to Union Station and grab a flight of beers from Imperial Western Brewing Co.

Day 5 – Mexican food for Lunch at Carnitas Michoacan in Lincoln Heights to get ready to see the Dodgers play. Then it’s celebratory beer flights at Highland Park Brewery to toast a Dodgers win.

Day 6 – Brewery hop! We’re hitting breweries from Downtown Arts District, to Long Beach, to Orange County and Torrance.

Day 7 – We’ll end the week cruising Whittier Boulevard, picking up a Hollenbeck burrito from El Tepeyac (great pics for the gram), hitting some of the best panaderias in the city and stopping by House of Xelas for drinks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife, Lily Rivera, deserves a ton of credit. She has been incredibly supportive long before I was interested in the beer industry. Whether it be producing music as a solo artist, managing a roster of bands, producing festivals, Lily has been there every step of the way. Her love and support is crucial to everything I do.

I’ve been fortunate to know some really great beer people. The beer community is very welcoming and supportive. I’ve been lucky enough to watch and take notes from startups like Brewjeria Company and Feathered Serpent Brewing Company. I can thank them for setting the example not only for me, but for so many Latino brewers in Los Angeles dreaming of one day opening a beer business.

I have to shout out the great people behind Eagle Rock Brewery – Ting Su & Jeremy Raub. They have been amazing supporters, provided lots of guidance and will always go down as the first commercial brewery to work with Norwalk Brew House.

Shout out to Steven Cardenas at Pacific Plate Brewing Company! He has been a tremendous help to the development of the business and has been instrumental in us getting established.

And of course, I owe lots of gratitude and props to the SoCal Cerveceros homebrew club! It is because of SCC and its members that I’m even talking about the beer industry today.

Website: www.norwalkbrewhouse.com

Instagram: @norwalkbrewhouse

Linkedin: Ray Ricky Rivera

Twitter: @RayRickyRivera

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of: Jesse James Galarza and Norwalk Brew House