After the collapse of his Bitcoin exchange Tradehill in 2012, Jered Kenna didn't walk away from crypto—he just pivoted to a different kind of ferment. The co-founder of one of the earliest Bitcoin exchanges, once a rival to the now-defunct Mt. Gox, has relocated to Colombia to launch 20Mission Brewing, a craft brewery with a strong environmental conscience and a surprising willingness to keep Bitcoin on the menu.
From Bitcoin Banking to Brewing
Tradehill, launched in 2011, was among the first exchanges to offer a dollar-to-Bitcoin marketplace. But in February 2012, the exchange was forced to shut down after its bank accounts were closed due to its involvement with Bitcoin. The regulatory and financial headaches left Kenna burnt out on blockchain hype. After Tradehill, he opened Mission20, a co-working space in San Francisco's Mission District with a giant 'Bitcoin-Accepted Here' neon sign, and later launched Trade Zero, Bitcoin's first dark pool.
Now, Kenna has moved to the land of magical realism and Pablo Escobar. “We are taking a more innovative approach,” Kenna told Bitcoin.com about his new brewery. “Breweries use a lot of water. Something like eight gallons of water to make a gallon of beer. We need to reduce that.”
Eco-Conscious Engineering
20Mission Brewing has partnered with the Ecology Department at Tecnológico de Antioquia, a local technical university, to design a system that reuses water through rainwater catchment in the cooling process. “Our goal is to use 1/3 of the ground water a typical brewery uses,” Kenna explained. The brewery also built its own electronic control system (TME) from scratch using a Chinese PID controller and temperature sensors to regulate heating elements, even though they also own a state-of-the-art commercial system.
Colombian Flavors, Independent Spirit
The brewery's recipe list blends American and European styles with local fruits like Maracuya (passion fruit) and Lulo, a citrusy berry native to South America. A Belgian Wheat Ale with passion fruit is among the first offerings. Kenna co-founded the brewery with two Bay Area entrepreneurs, Todd Morrill and Jeff Guerra, and a local brewer who previously worked at Rogue Brewery in Oregon.
Colombia's beer market is dominated by Bavaria, a Miller-owned brand (which is part of Anheuser-Busch InBev). Small craft breweries like BBC and 3 Cordilleras are being snapped up by large corporations. Kenna sees an opportunity. “If renovation stays on track we will be the largest independently owned brewery in Colombia this June,” he said. The goal is to break the corporate stranglehold and offer a truly independent alternative.
Bitcoin Payments? Until the Government Says No
Will 20Mission Brewing accept Bitcoin? “Until the Colombian Government tells us to stop,” Kenna confirmed, staying true to his crypto roots. The brewery plans to continue its expansion in 2017, with a focus on sustainability and community. Whether you're a crypto enthusiast or a craft beer lover, this is one startup that's fermenting change on two fronts.