Speaker 1: 0:30

My name is Natalie. I am from Lost Barrel Brewing. We are a family-owned brewery in Middleburg, virginia. We do drinks. We also host events. We have a food menu, so kind of anyone that wants to get out of the house and do something fun.

Speaker 2: 0:43

I love that I need to get out of the house and do something fun. Now take me back. What drew you to the world of marketing and events? Give me a quick overview of your journey from the start.

Speaker 1: 0:55

So I started in marketing right and events. Give me a quick overview of your journey from the start. So I started in marketing right after college. I actually went to my undergrad for early childhood development and family studies, so I taught at a preschool for a while and I love kids so much, but going into school every day I was like, oh my gosh, I need something different, I need to be like on a different schedule, doing something fun, and I always liked social media and graphic design. So I actually went back and got a certificate at Mason in graphic design and web design and while I was doing that I started at a marketing firm and so I did all of their social media and I really liked it. So then I kind of switched from doing web design and graphic design to doing more of social media.

Speaker 2: 1:33

Oh, wow. Yeah that's super cool.

Speaker 1: 1:35

I know really random.

Speaker 2: 1:36

Yeah, I love it. Though how would you describe the culture at Lost Barrel Brewing and what makes your team unique?

Speaker 1: 1:45

Our culture is really fun. So because it's family owned like, my sister works behind the bar, my mom does our music and the store, so it has created a really fun family environment. All of the staff we have siblings that work there. We have people that are just friends with each other so everyone really knows each other. I mean they hang out outside of work. It's really fun, so they have a good time.

Speaker 2: 2:04

I love that. Yeah, we're a family here too, at Alamond, but not like, not related but I get it, it's really important to have that awesome team culture. What values guide the way that you and your team create experiences for guests?

Speaker 1: 2:18

So first and foremost is the customer experience. We want everyone to feel welcomed and then, once they feel welcomed in there, we want them to have a good time, from, you know, the taste of the drinks and the food to the staff experience and then to the overall experience of the building and the feeling in there. So a lot of it is just making sure that everyone feels happy and comfortable and having a good time. Yeah, of course.

Speaker 2: 2:40

Can you share a behind the scenes moment that really captures the spirit of your team?

Speaker 1: 2:45

Oh my gosh, a behind the scenes moment that captures the spirit of the team. I don't know. I think probably the most recent one is I just went on Sunday and had everyone do TikToks and they were having so much fun with it. So I think the behind the scenes is they just enjoy it. I know a lot of people might say that, but I think they just have fun. At the end of the day, you're selling beer and food, so while it's serious, it's just kind of fun. So I think they just like to make it a good time and I love participating in that. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 3:16

Some of a good time and I love participating in that. Yeah, some of those TikTok trends too are so fun or like some different sounds that go viral. I love that. Yeah, what do you think makes Lost Barrel Brewing feel different from other breweries in the area?

Speaker 1: 3:25

Ooh, what makes this different? I think there's a couple things. I think, first and foremost, we're located on a horse farm, so it's really pretty views. You get the forest and then there's a lot of trees, so in the summer it's really pretty views. You get the forest and then there's a lot of trees, so in the summer it's really green, and then in the winter, when the trees aren't there, you can actually see the horses. So that's really cool. And then I think the building is different. We have a probably a different approach to beer. It's more of a lifestyle brewery, so we have a boutique that sells not only our logo gear but also fashion items hats, clothes and then I think the music in the building also reflects that. We kind of want you to feel like you're obviously sipping countryside, but kind of like you're getting a whole experience, so from the music to the store, to the drinks and the decorations as well.

Speaker 2: 4:08

Wow, that's super curated. Come in, that's so cool.

Speaker 1: 4:12

It's pretty fun.

Speaker 2: 4:13

What genre is the the music? I'm curious because I'm a musician, okay it's a little bit of everything.

Speaker 1: 4:18

So my mom is a dj. She is now retired but she does all of our playlists. So when we're not having live music, the live music is more of like your singer, songwriter, your covers, that kind of stuff. A lot of them play all over the virginia area. But when we're not having that, the playlists are a little bit of like Tropical House, something that's like background music but not like elevator music.

Speaker 1: 4:40

So it's probably songs that you may or may not recognize, but you'll enjoy listening to them, you'll Shazam them and you'll want to listen to them some more, yeah.

Speaker 2: 4:49

I love that. It's this whole experience, though, and that you have the boutique and you have the music and, of course, food and drink, but all of that goes together, and I'm sure guests just feel so immersed in like in that vibe, for lack of better word but yeah, definitely creating a vibe.

Speaker 1: 5:07

So, and we have different like days where we play different music which is fun. So on Sundays we do like the sunset session, so that's more of the tropical house, and then we'll have, you know, days where we play like Tyler Childers and that kind of vibe. So it really depends on the day, what event we have going on that, so we like to have the music match. I love Tyler Childers, same. We just did a TikTok trying to get him to come to the brewery and play before his concert.

Speaker 2: 5:27

He should, he needs to.

Speaker 1: 5:29

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:38

Definitely not going. You're listening, please? One could hope I know how do you ensure that every event or social media post reflects?

Speaker 1: 5:41

your brand's personality and values. So it's kind of interesting because I am actually the only one that does any of our social media. I think I'm the only one that has the passwords to it. I am a one woman team over here so I do all of the TikToks, all Instagram, any event, any type of social media post, our website. It's all what I do. So I think that will create a kind of consistency. But I also think, because it's family owned, we try to keep it in line with a family marketing. But also we are selling beer, so it is geared towards adults. But you know you can bring your family, your dogs around, but knowing that it's geared towards adults also will help keep the marketing kind of in line with. You know they're the ones looking at social media. So we like to keep it kind of family oriented and marketing, if that's like a way to put it. You know, with what you post, yeah, but also trying to make it fun. So I think that's, at the end of the day, what our marketing is.

Speaker 2: 6:36

Awesome. What goes into planning one of your signature events from start to finish? Okay.

Speaker 1: 6:43

So from start to finish is really fun. I love Pinterest, I love mood boards and I loved themed events. So that's basically how our kind of themed events started. So because one of the first events we did was Outlast Fest and since we're on a horse farm, it kind of it made sense. So I started with the event overall, then I got our vendors on board, then I made a mood board with outfits and decoration so we posted that to help get the promotion behind the scenes to it, so people kind of knew what the feeling of the event would be. Then I worked on all of the decoration for the event and then the day of event.

Speaker 1: 7:21

So then you have to do all the videos and the pictures and then posting it after the event. So then the next one, you want to go to it. So a lot of creating like visuals to give you the feeling of the event. That way, even if you're not local, you'll see it and be like, oh my gosh, I missed that one, but they're going to do it again, so I want to go see that event again. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

Speaker 2: 7:42

I am a Pinterest girl as well, so yeah, I love it Mood boards are the best. They're so satisfying too, because then when you achieve what the mood board kind of was setting out to do, it's just the best feeling, so good, awesome. Can you share a favorite event you've hosted that really captured the magic of Lost Barrel Brewing.

Speaker 1: 8:09

I think my current favorite one is our Honky Tonk Night. So we just started it. We had our first one it's once a month and we wanted to do line dancing. But we wanted it to be a little bit different, to get people out to Middleburg because it's a little bit farther. So we made it into a whole night called Honky Tonk Night. So not only is it just line dancing but there is a hat bar where you can create a custom hat or get your cowboy boots branded. You can do permanent jewelry or charm bar. And then we also have all of our drinks. So we have a drink called the farm water. So that kind of leans into the Honky Tonk Night. So I think that's my current favorite one, where it just kind of encapsulates the brewery as a whole because it's so much fun. Everyone's in the main tap room together enjoying it and then. But there's also other lighters to it.

Speaker 2: 8:50

Yeah, that sounds so much fun. Yeah, it was a good time. Need to come out for one of those Love a honky tonk night. What's one experience you hope every guest walks away with after visiting.

Speaker 1: 9:04

One experience I think would be the overall feeling of just happiness, I guess is how I would say it Like you were excited to come, you visited, you feel like you got value for what you paid. You feel like you enjoyed your time there and maybe didn't want to leave. And then you left, being like I need to go back there again. I'm going to tell all my friends, my family, and do it again.

Speaker 2: 9:28

Yeah, I love that you have such a creative background. As you mentioned, what inspired you to really step into marketing and events at a brewery.

Speaker 1: 9:40

So my family opened the brewery and I actually don't drink beer.

Speaker 1: 9:44

I'm allergic to gluten, so I can't drink the beer I can drink our other drinks, but I had to learn a lot about beer. So it was kind of because it was my family. I was like, oh, this will be a unique aspect to market, because I can market to someone who maybe doesn't know that much about beer, but also to people who know a lot about beer, because I would just tap into our brewers for all that knowledge. And it allowed me to be more creative with what we do, with our marketing. And so that is what really drew it to me, because obviously they could have hired someone else to do it. And then I was like this could be really fun. I'll switch over to here to do the marketing that's so cool.

Speaker 2: 10:24

I'm also allergic to gluten, so I don't know a thing about beer yeah, it's a lot to learn.

Speaker 1: 10:29

You know what? I'll come learn a lot of science. I was like what is going on?

Speaker 2: 10:32

this is crazy my dad is always trying to like, because he's just a like a beer fanatic, like he loves learning about different beers and stuff, and he's always talking my ear off and I'm like I don't know, but you make me want to learn yeah, it's a lot of science.

Speaker 1: 10:47

Whenever I walk into the brew house I'm like, okay, it's science time, like there's like all these instruments they use and they measure things, so good for them yeah.

Speaker 2: 10:55

What was the moment when you realized that this role was the perfect blend of your passions?

Speaker 1: 11:02

I think I realized when I was really enjoying doing it but not only just enjoying doing like the repeated daily tasks, but being inspired to do new events, that kind of create and blend the things that I'm interested in and what I'm supposed to be doing for my role. So I think that I realized I was like holy crap, this is so much fun, like I'm actually enjoying doing this. It's a good time, and I bet it was really fulfilling as well. Yeah, I really enjoy it.

Speaker 2: 11:31

That's when you get that feeling that, wow, this is like the perfect place for me.

Speaker 1: 11:34

Yeah, I agree. I'm like I could never not be doing something like this.

Speaker 2: 11:39

I love that. I hope everyone finds that I always think about that. Yeah, how have your mentors or inspiration shaped the way you lead your team and create events?

Speaker 1: 11:49

So I think those are kind of different. So the way I lead the team is more of like I'll do this with you, versus asking people to do things. I think when Not only do you create a relationship with your staff but you show them that you're if you could help me do this, not kind of telling or asking you to do that, I think it creates a mutual respect where you want to help each other. And then I think that also then leans into the event, I think, because they know why we're doing the event or why we're doing this marketing, they are like oh, this is so much fun, I now want to participate. Versus like OK, fine, I have to do this. So I think they kind of go together but are a little bit different.

Speaker 2: 12:31

Yeah, for sure. What's one lesson you've learned from working in this industry that has shaped you professionally?

Speaker 1: 12:38

One lesson I learned, I think, to be able to pivot quickly and kind of change your plans and be a little bit more adaptable. If something doesn't work, don't like ponder on it too long. It's like okay, this is why it didn't work, let's do something different. I think that I definitely had to learn like wow, okay, that is not what I expected to happen, and like, don't think about it too much, see how you can change it. That was definitely a little bit of a learning curve.

Speaker 2: 13:07

Yeah, I hear a lot of business owners and entrepreneurs and professionals on here say kind of similar things. Like you can't, you can't like fixate on problems too long. You have to just kind of learn how to pivot and learn how to address things and keep moving, keep trucking.

Speaker 1: 13:26

Yeah, for sure, that's been really interesting. I'm like, okay, let's try that one again.

Speaker 2: 13:31

Loudoun County has such a supportive business community. How has that impacted Lost Barrel Brewing's growth?

Speaker 1: 13:38

I think Loudoun County is probably the best county to have a business in but also to have a brewery in, because there's so many locations where people can go. So it helps bring the tourism out here, but also the locals out here, because, say they're driving somewhere and they pass by us because they're going to another brewery, that in their minds they're going to say, oh, I'm going to stop there next time I'm out here. But I also think it provides a community where all of the breweries, the wineries, the distilleries, they all support each other in the bigger goal of helping uplift everyone and their business. And not only that, but even the other small businesses are so nice, they're so supportive, they'll post on social media about us, they'll comment on us and then we'll do the same for them, and then they also come out and visit us and say hello. And I think it's just so much fun to be in Loudoun County. Everyone's just so nice and they like care. It's not just like, oh, it's performative, it's like they really do care.

Speaker 2: 14:35

Yeah, that's something I love about living here, and that I loved about growing up partially here, is just that there is that community mindedness, but it definitely translates to businesses as well. Mindedness but it definitely translates to businesses as well. I mean working here. I see that all the time our little downtown Leesburg community, but also the larger community across DC, maryland and Virginia. But I love Loudoun County, so I'm glad you love it too. It's great If you could give advice to someone wanting to start a community-focused business like yours. What would it be?

Speaker 1: 15:06

I would say to participate in the community before you open and show support so that people are invested in you as a person and wanting to support you. And then from there I would say social media is your best friend. Post all the behind the scenes things, even before you're open. Just post and share so that you now have the community behind you but you also have your social media community behind you. They want to see what you've done, what you've been working on, and see it once you open and then continue to support the community.

Speaker 2: 15:40

Yeah, it really builds that excitement from the start to that grand opening. Yeah exactly Love that. Is there anything else that I didn't touch on that you want to share today, my gosh?

Speaker 1: 15:52

just come visit us at the brewery. Come say hi, grab a drink, grab some food, drop the store. Yeah, host an event with us.

Speaker 2: 16:00

Yeah, amazing, I got to go to Honky Tonk Night.

Speaker 1: 16:03

That's all I can think of. You definitely do.

Speaker 2: 16:05

Well, thank you, natalie, so much for coming in and making the time to talk to us today about Lost Barrel Brewing, marketing and events, as well as your journey. This has been such an amazing conversation and I know that our audience will really love this episode and learn a lot too.

Speaker 1: 16:20

Thank you so much for having me. This was so fun, thank you.