IHA chats with Brooklyn Brew Shop co-founders Erica Shea and Stephen Valand, to hear about how they conceive their business and their DIY food kits for experimenting at home with brewing, baking and personalizing your food creations. Brooklyn Brew Shop and their stylish products will take part in the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show in Discover Design.

We’ll be posting conversations with exhibitors to give you a glimpse of the inspirations, influences and ideas that go into creating the exciting products that you’ll see soon in Chicago.

Erica and Stephen, tell us about how you started your company.

Brooklyn Brew Shop started with a mission to bring beer making into even the tiniest living spaces. Since then, we’ve expanded and recently launched a new line called FarmSteady, which strives to bring people closer to the food they eat – by providing easy to use DIY food kits that empower consumers to become more than just consumers. Whether it’s making beer, rolling bagels, or making fresh cheese – Brooklyn Brew Shop and FarmSteady are here to help people have fun with food.

Where do you find inspiration when designing new products?
Inspiration usually strikes our taste buds first. It’s pretty great when drinking at a bar or eating at a restaurant can be considered “research and development!” Whenever we notice the words “house-made” on a menu or label, we think “Why not our home?” which eventually translates into “Why not his, hers, or their home?”

How do you choose which idea to take to the next step?
Through experimenting at home in our loft, we are able to see first-hand which of our DIY projects are truly enriching our lives (or stomachs). It’s a mixture of ease, enjoyment, and deliciousness that bring a project to the next steps in development.

Is there an approach or look that joins the functionality, form or emotional appeal of your product line?
Our products are meant to be accessible. All of our kits include everything needed, minus a couple kitchen staples. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a cook, a baker, a brewer. We want people to feel comfortable exploring things they didn’t think were possible to make at home.

How do new technologies influence your product design? How do you use social media?
We love how much social media connects us to our customers. Social platforms like Instagram are creating a “show, don’t tell” type culture which is great for products like our Beer Making Kits or FarmSteady kits. Aside from being able to see what interesting things people are making in their kitchens using our kits, as social media becomes more interactive we are able to use tools like Twitter polls to find out what our audience wants to see next.

Can you give us a preview of what you will be showing in your booth in Discover Design?
You can expect fresh cheese demos, beer and cider samples, and fermentation education featuring our newest FarmSteady product.

Sounds delicious!  We’re so glad you are returning exhibitors and we’re eager to see and savor your latest offerings. We look forward to meeting you in your booth N8705 in Discover Design!

Learn more about Brooklyn Brew Shop at www.brooklynbrewshop.com. You may find yourself thirsting for a cold one as you watch their informative instructional videos too!

Discover Design is the premier destination at the International Home + Housewares Show for trend spotters who make design their priority. Retailers looking for the unique will find early 200 design leaders at Discover Design located at the front of the North Building.

Anchored by renowned brands such as Alessi, Blomus and Charles Viancin, Discover Design welcomes new exhibitors, such as notNeutral, Luckies of London, and S’well Bottle, and introduces 10 emerging companies at the Design Debut incubator. Additional fresh offerings from veteran design-focused exhibitors such as Kikkerland, Zoku and Magisso will also inspire your choices for the coming year. Find more information on Discover Design exhibitors online.