Triplehorn Brewing Company

Triplehorn Brewing Company is a craft microbrewery located in Woodinville, WA. They put it best themselves— “We make beer, and we seem to do a pretty good job. We’re always working to be better than we were yesterday.” Richard and Raymond Nesheim were both employed in construction, but when work shut down in 2007 they looked for other opportunities. The brothers grew up here and tossed around the idea of a family farm or winery but were concerned about long production times and concluded it would be too expensive. One of them had a Kegerator (a machine that produces draft beer at home) and inspiration struck. They ran some numbers and settled on a brewery instead.

Once the decision was made it was time to get serious. After lots of research and on a shoestring budget, the brothers knew their most immediate need was funding. As a brand new business, it was difficult to find a conventional lender that would finance a startup. They borrowed from the SBA to secure a brick and mortar location, offering wholesale and retail brews as well as its own menu and hosting food trucks, but needed an additional loan to increase production. They were referred to Business Impact NW, a “compassionate lender” which allows us to be more flexible with our criteria and who we fund. We were able to give them an equipment loan to increase production by 10% and get a foothold in Washington’s craft brewing darling industry. 

Triplehorn is a true family business. All design, construction and brewing is hands-on, “We’re a family, we’re a team”. Woodinville is a great location thanks to wine country tourism and their old style tavern encourages a sense of community and conversation. They not only built a brewery, but a relationship with the Woodinville Chamber of Commerce and are leading efforts to facilitate a downtown core and increase services to the entire community.

Of course, beer is the main attraction. Now that the business is taking off, they can focus more on different styles and have fun with their offerings. Triplehorn has seen growth and support that will take them to the next level. The immediate goal is 5% growth and positive cash flow, which the brothers note is extremely rare in this industry, and the longer term hope is to quadruple production. Of the day to day operations, Ray says he “likes the competition, the frustration, and I like trying to problem solve.” It’s clear this family has passion and dedication to succeed and plays an important part in Woodinville’s business community. You can stop by at 19510 144th Ave NE, Woodinville, WA or visit them online, on Facebook and Twitter.

About the author

Danielle Moser