LIGHTS Client Spotlight: Morning Dew Hop Farm
The Shawnee State University Kricker Innovation Hub (a gateway of the LIGHTS Regional Innovation Network) was pleased to invite LIGHTS Client Morning Dew Hop Farm to participate in one of our fall entrepreneurial journey speaker series this past October. The event -entitled ‘The Future of Craft Beer in Southeastern Ohio’ - was just one of three seasonal speaker series events hosted by the Hub. To learn more about upcoming events subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook.
Several years ago, Casey Buchanan and Steve Geisler met in a chiropractors office and bonded over their love for the classic jam-band ‘The Grateful Dead’. Little did the pair realize that friendship would grow and eventually turn into a joint business venture.
“We met and hit it off immediately,” said Buchanan. “We had something to bond over and became friends.”
Geisler had previously owned a food truck and several AirBnB properties around Athens County. Buchanan worked as a bartender for Jackie O’s Brewery. The two were both OU graduates - though separated by a couple decades of life experience.
“We decided to become business partners,” explained Buchanan. “Steve was really looking to invest in something new. We both had an interest in sustainable farming and agriculture…so we decided to start by purchasing some land.”
The two purchased a 23-acre farm in Meigs County, Ohio, about 12 minutes from the City of Athens.
“It was underdeveloped when we bought it,” said Buchanan. “There were no structures except a 10x12 building. So, we first decided to build small cabins, post them on AirBnB, and start a sort of agricultural and Eco-tourism venture. We wanted to sell an experience. Instead of growing a tomato and selling it at a farmer’s market, we wanted to show our guests how to grow it themselves.”
“People could really come and get their hands dirty,” he laughed.
Eventually, the two realized their similar taste for craft beer and decided to plant a specialty crop: hops. They planted a quarter acre of hops fields and began selling their output to local establishments such as Little Fish Brewing. Their business became known as the Morning Dew Hop Farm.
Casey Buchanan (left) and Steve Geisler (right) started Morning Dew Hop Farm in 2016.
“This year, we harvested our hops and turned them into about 75 lbs of pellets. To put it in perspective, that’s about 75 barrels of beer going to local breweries,” explained Buchanan. Today, the farm also features a garden, mushroom cultivation, and a working bee hive.
In the last year, Buchanan and Geisler have continued their hard work. They recently completed their third cabin on the farm. And good luck getting a reservation!
“When the COVID pandemic struck, we thought our business would be crushed,” admitted Buchanan. “But, it turns out we weren’t. It was the perfect storm. People were looking to get away from cities. Being in rural Meigs County really helped us out. We’ve managed almost 100% occupancy since the virus started.”
Now, the pair are turning their attention to yet another unique addition to the farm: a spa and brewery.
“We’ve had all these other business ideas and were left wondering - what is the next step? We decided to bring it all full circle and use our own organic hops and ingredients to serve to people on the farm.”
The two businessmen decided to create a Czech style spa and brewery.
“Steve was playing around on his phone one day and an ad came up for a beer bath in Chicago. It was a type of spa treatment. We are always looking for new and creative ways to enter the craft beer industry, and when we heard this, everything just clicked. We had to do it. We had to put it on the farm.”
After a lot of market research, the two booked a visit to Prague (the home of beer spas) in the Czech Republic. They visited for 10 days last December and tried out 8 different beer spa establishments. And they even ran into a master craftsmen who agreed to make them two custom bathtubs for their farm.
Casey and Steve conducting market research in Prague (December 2019).
“They are seven feet wide and 30 inches long,” explained Buchanan. “We just got them in around Thanksgiving. Two people can sit in each tub. So, four people will be able to enjoy the spa room at once. And while you are inside you are able to drink our craft beer we will have on tap.”
According to Buchanan, the beer spa offers multiple benefits such as stress reduction, increased circulation, and hair/skin rejuvenation. When customers are done in the spa, they can go back to the brewery for a pint and slice of pizza made with all organic ingredients found on the farm.
The Morning Dew Spa and Brewery is scheduled to be opened by March 2021. Buchanan was quick to thank the LIGHTS Regional Innovation Network for their part in guiding the business forward.
“LIGHTS has been amazing for us,” he said. “We are so lucky to be involved with the program…they’ve been helping us tremendously with our business plan and figuring out how we are going to proceed. It’s truly been a great way for us, as a developing business, to get the ideas we need down on paper and be able to hash them out with experts. And they are telling us to think big. They want us to take our beer, to take our brewery, to make it bigger and distribute all over Ohio. That would be awesome.”
Be sure to check out the Morning Dew Hop Farm, Spa, and Brewery on Facebook for updates on their unique and innovative business!
LIGHTS provides expertise, training, and resources to the region's workforce, entrepreneurs, companies, and local communities through a series of Innovation Gateways. The Gateways provide business incubation and maker spaces. LIGHTS is for individuals, that live or work in the 26-county territory, with an interest in building a product and/or creating a business. Contact us today to start your journey with LIGHTS!