We live in a world where consumers expect the best service, the fastest delivery, and the cheapest price. That is exactly why I have the MOST respect for small business owners in this day and age. Companies like Ayoba-Yo and Diamondback Brewery are crafting unique products and are faced with the challenge of breaking through the big name brands to reach new clients. I (Tim) have worked with Ayoba-Yo for the past few years capturing content for the brand. This past weekend I was super pumped when the founder, Wian VB, told me that he was doing a collaboration with my favorite Baltimore brewery and we were invited to tour the facilities.
Let's take a step back before we get into the tour. You might be wondering "What the heck is Ayoba-yo?" and that is quite honestly a good question. Ayoba-Yo sells South African recipe beef jerky known as Biltong and other South African style beef snacks. The best part about their beef jerky is that it is not beef jerky at all. This is air-dried steak that is hung for 14 days and then sliced thinly for you to enjoy. No sugar, no artificial anything and best of all you can actually chew this stuff. If you ever visit South Africa you can find Biltong on almost any corner store, but who needs to fly all the across the world when you can pop into Diamondback Brewery and enjoy it with a nice cold beer. On to the tour!
If you haven't yet visited the DiamondBack Brewery facilities in Baltimore you absolutely should add it to your Summer 17 bucket list. Tucked away at 1215 East Fort Avenue Diamondback offers a laid back atmosphere to sip on quality beer, meet new friends, and play a little ping pong. Colin, one of three founders, welcomed Wian, Sebastian, and myself with cold beers and a heck of a lot of knowledge.
Diamondback is currently collaborating with 125 different locations in the Maryland area and on any given day you can find them on tap at 30 of those spots. On top of keg distribution Diamondback pumps out 2880 cans of their monthly craft beer which always sells out. Colin took the time and explained to us their beer making process and just how important keeping its focus on quality is. He was proud to show us the in house brite tank and walk us into their massive fridge. Sip, nod head a few times to show I'm paying attention, sip. Although he couldn't tell me specifically what new beers they are working on Colin did hint that they were experimenting with blueberries and lavender that are locally sourced from Star Bright Farm.
