Meet Lorenzo Borghese | South Beach Brewing Company Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lorenzo Borghese and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lorenzo, what do you attribute your success to?

I’m in the beer industry which is an extremely competitive industry, now more so than ever. So how was I going to compete against brands with far more capital, employees, distribution and history than my brand?

To do this, I focused on what I wanted to see in the industry as a consumer.

I love to buy USA brewed beers and there seemed to be a void in the “vacation” mindset American beers, essentially a craft beer brand that would be the Corona beach beer of the USA. And so South Beach Brewing Company was born (we found our beach and it’s a beautiful white Florida beach right here in the USA).

I’m a very visual person and so are most consumers and thus, we first choose products with our eyes (and then our taste buds let us decide if we will rebuy that product), For this reason, I knew I needed to find an artist that could make my beers pop on the shelves as well as tap handles that grabbed people’s attention and their curiosity in a bar. And not just any artist, but an artist that lived, breathed and embodied South Beach. And I found that artist, David Le Batard, also known as “Lebo.”

Lebo paints with bright fun colors which blend perfectly with the bright ever-changing colors found in South Beach, from sunrise to sunset. Lebo is South Beach, in fact, once you cross the 41st street bridge and enter South Beach, there is a giant mural painted by Lebo that welcomes you to South Beach. He was and is the perfect artist for the brand. Everything from our fonts to our Florida birds dressed in Art Deco wardrobe (our tasting room is located in the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco district) is true to South Beach .

As a consumer living in Florida, what would be the perfect beer selections that told a story of the Sunshine State? What advantage did I have brewing in Florida vs other states? That answer was simple. Citrus! Just look at the Florida license plate. It’s hard to miss the large orange on it. Therefore, I decided to brew my beers using Florida citrus including oranges and grapefruit. Sure a brewery in NY could brew an orange IPA but the beer wouldn’t be authentic to NY.

As a consumer in South Beach, what other elements would the beer need to be true to South Beach? And I quickly found that answer. South Beach is known for it’s world famous brunch parties. So to be true to South Beach, I created the official brunch beer, the Strawberry Orange Mimosa (brewed with Florida OJ and natural strawberry and champagne flavors) and reserved the domain, www.thebrunchbeer.com.

Because Florida is so hot, especially in the summertime, as a consumer, I wanted to stay hydrated so I included a proprietary electrolyte in all our beers.

And to differentiate ourselves even further, I created a series of “Sparkling Ales” which are our healthier beer options. All are GMO and Gluten Free and are lower calorie ales. No one wants to feel bloated and full in their bathing suit or bikini on a 100 degree day. These are the perfect beach, pool, fishing and everyday in the Sunshine State ales. So far we have three Sparkling Ales which are as follows: Strawberry Orange Mimosa (brewed with real OJ and natural Strawberry and Champagne flavors), South Peach Shandy (brewed with real peach and lemon juices) and our brand new South Beach Seabreeze (brewed with real Cranberry and Grapefruit juices).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I’m most proud of never quitting. So many things have gone wrong and continue to go wrong but if it were easy, we’d all do it. And it’s far from easy. But the struggles are worth it. It’s like watching your child grow. There are those nights of no sleep but as time goes on, it gets better and better and the rewards far outweigh the struggles.

Regarding what’s different about my brand, I’ve pretty much already mentioned that but will do so again. We use Real Juices and electrolytes in our beers. We are also brewers of The Brunch Beer (our Strawberry Orange Mimosa and South Peach Shandy) and we have a line of Sparkling Ales which are our healthier beer options, (GMO and Gluten Free and lower calories).

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take my friend to South Beach Brewing (on 11th between Collins and Washington), The 1 Hotel, The Clevelander, The Surfcomber Hotel and the Lobster Shack as well as every establishment that has supported us in South Beach!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I couldn’t have created South Beach Brewing on my own. From my original partners, Fred Forsley (founder of Shipyard and Sea Dog Brewing), Karl Alterman, David Le Batard, Barry Winhold, Robert Jaggers and brewer, Bobby Baker, to my new larger group of partners, Mike Harting (3 Daughters Brewing), brewer Ty Weaver and business partner, Devon Simpson, a special thank you to you all! And of course to all my investors and distributors, as without them, South Beach wouldn’t exist.  And a very special thank you to all our customers who have and continue to support us!

And of course to my parents and brother and sister who are all entrepreneurs and have supported me and my ideas and ventures since the day I was born.

Website: southbeachbrew.com

Instagram: southbeachbrew

Linkedin: southbeachbrew

Twitter: southbeachbrew

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Yelp: South Beach Brewing Company

Image Credits
Lorenzo Borghese – South Beach Brewing