Jered Kenna, co-founder of the early bitcoin exchange Tradehill, has taken a markedly different entrepreneurial path in Colombia, moving from the intense operational pressure of crypto markets into the craft beer business. Best known for helping build one of the earliest exchanges to compete with the now-defunct Mt. Gox, Kenna said the grind of dealing with regulation, banking relationships, and the broader hype cycle around blockchain pushed him toward ventures rooted more in lifestyle and tangible products.
Tradehill, launched in 2011, was once a notable name in bitcoin trading. But on February 13, 2012, the company announced it would shut down after its bank accounts were closed because of its involvement with bitcoin. The closure reflected a wider problem that defined the industry’s early years: exchanges could build demand quickly, but access to stable financial infrastructure remained fragile. Even so, Kenna did not fully leave the digital asset space. He later launched Trade Zero, described in the report as bitcoin’s first dark pool.
From Exchange Operator to Brewery Founder
After Tradehill, Kenna opened Mission20, an art and technology co-working space in San Francisco’s Mission District. The venue reportedly featured a large electric sign declaring “Bitcoin Accepted Here”, underscoring how closely his identity remained tied to the cryptocurrency movement. His next project, however, shifted from software and markets to brewing. He relocated to Colombia and became one of the founders of 20Mission Brewing, a craft brewery designed around experimentation, local ingredients, and environmental efficiency.
Kenna framed the new business as an attempt to innovate in an industry with significant resource demands. Brewing is especially water intensive, and he noted that it can take roughly eight gallons of water to produce one gallon of beer. That challenge became a central part of the brewery’s operating philosophy. Rather than simply opening another craft label, the team sought to build a production model that would reduce environmental impact while still allowing for flavor innovation and scale.
Environmental Efficiency as a Core Strategy
To improve water usage, 20Mission Brewing partnered with the ecology department at Tecnológico de Antioquia, a local technical university. According to Kenna, the brewery was working on systems to reuse as much water as possible and to incorporate rain catchment into its cooling process. The stated goal was ambitious: to use only one-third of the groundwater consumed by a typical brewery. In a country where infrastructure, agriculture, and industrial activity all compete for water resources, that kind of efficiency could become a meaningful differentiator.
The environmental focus also aligns with a broader shift in consumer expectations. Craft beer buyers increasingly respond not only to taste and branding but also to production values, sourcing choices, and sustainability claims. In that sense, the brewery’s eco-conscious model appears to be more than a technical experiment; it is also part of how the business intends to position itself in a changing market.
Local Flavor Meets Technical Experimentation
20Mission Brewing’s approach to product development blends international beer traditions with Colombian ingredients. Kenna said the brewery had already started mixing European and American styles with fruits unfamiliar to him back in the United States, including maracuya (passion fruit) and lulo. One of the examples mentioned was a Belgian wheat ale made with passion fruit, highlighting the brewery’s intention to create recipes that are locally grounded rather than simply imported in concept.
The company also brought a technical mindset into brewing operations. The team included a former computer engineer who had run software recruiting and development companies, and together they built an electronic control prototype referred to as TME. Kenna explained that the system used a Chinese PID and temperature sensors to switch heating elements on and off and maintain the temperatures required for brewing. While the brewery also had access to a separate state-of-the-art system, the custom-built prototype remained important as an experimental platform.
That detail is notable because it shows continuity with Kenna’s background in technology. Even in a physical business like brewing, the instinct to build in-house tools, optimize systems, and test alternatives appears to remain central. The brewery is not presented merely as a lifestyle pivot; it is still a startup shaped by engineers and entrepreneurs trying to redesign established processes.
A Push for Independent Brewing in Colombia
Beyond product and process, Kenna also expressed interest in the structure of Colombia’s beer market. According to the report, the local industry has long been dominated by Bavaria, a Miller-owned brand viewed as premium and widely distributed. At the same time, regional craft breweries have been gaining traction, though some have also become acquisition targets for larger corporate players. Companies such as BBC (Bogota Beer Company) and 3 Cordilleras were cited as examples of notable names in the market.
Kenna suggested that Colombia’s brewing landscape was entering a more dynamic phase. If renovations to the facility stayed on track, he said 20Mission Brewing could become the largest independently owned brewery in Colombia by June of that year. Whether that target was ultimately met is not addressed in the source material, but the statement captures the scale of the founders’ ambition. They were not simply opening a neighborhood taproom; they were attempting to build a nationally significant independent operation in a market where multinational influence remained strong.
Bitcoin Still Has a Place
Even after stepping away from the center of exchange infrastructure, Kenna’s connection to bitcoin had not disappeared. When asked whether the brewery would accept bitcoin, his answer was clear: “Until the Colombian Government tells us to stop.” That remark ties the new venture back to the same tensions that shaped his exchange career—innovation on one side, regulatory uncertainty on the other.
For crypto observers, that detail may be the most symbolic part of the story. Kenna’s move into beer does not represent a complete break with digital assets. Instead, it suggests a more grounded form of adoption: using bitcoin as a payment method within a real-world consumer business rather than building around speculative trading alone. In a sector often dominated by abstractions, token narratives, and infrastructure debates, the idea of paying for a craft beer with bitcoin offers a simpler, more tangible use case.
A Different Chapter for an Early Bitcoin Entrepreneur
Kenna’s journey from exchange founder to brewery operator reflects a familiar arc among some early crypto entrepreneurs. The first generation of builders often had to navigate unclear regulation, banking hostility, and repeated operational crises while trying to establish legitimacy for a new asset class. For some, that experience led to deeper involvement in financial infrastructure. For others, it sparked a search for businesses with more direct community value and fewer institutional bottlenecks.
In Kenna’s case, the next chapter is rooted in Colombia, sustainability, and independent brewing—but still leaves room for bitcoin at the point of sale. The result is a story that connects two cultures often associated with experimentation: early cryptocurrency and craft beer. Both reward risk-taking, both emerged through grassroots communities, and both have repeatedly challenged entrenched incumbents.
Whether viewed as a lifestyle reinvention or as a continuation of startup culture in another form, 20Mission Brewing shows how some early bitcoin figures have carried their entrepreneurial instincts into unexpected industries. The pressures that once defined exchange operations may have pushed Kenna away from the center of crypto, but they did not end his interest in innovation, independence, or alternative payments.