Former venture capitalist gets into craft brews

With more than 17 years of experience as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and business consultant to corporate executives, Bharat Chhabria is looking forward to a new opportunity within the craft beer industry. Chhabria’s The Brass Tap* businesses will be his first time in franchising after having spent the majority of his career working with startups, venture capital funds, and establishing international operations for a Fortune 500 company.  Chhabria’s success as an entrepreneur began in 1997, at the age of 21, when he founded Meditech Engineering in Mumbai, his hometown. Following this venture, Chhabria relocated to the US to receive an MBA from Ohio State University. He has since continued to thrive in leadership roles such as the Vice President of Science & Technology Campus Corporation; Vice President of Business Development at Interventional Imaging, and as the Global Product Director of Ashland Inc, a Fortune 500 company which operates in more than 100 countries. As a growth-focused critical thinker, Chhabria also recently launched his own consulting agency, Global Growth Catalysts, LLC. Armed with his versatility and innovativeness, Chhabria is poised to successfully debut The Brass Tap in two very different markets in the Tallahassee, Florida area. The opening of his first location in Midtown will target young professionals and commuters driving from downtown; while his second location will be more university and sports-oriented. How did you first learn of The Brass Tap? We were researching franchises that demonstrated the potential for aggressive multi-unit growth, with a special focus on industries that were on a strong, secular growth trajectory. We saw that the craft beer industry is exploding here and I already have a strong passion for craft beer, so The Brass Tap was the perfect opportunity for us. Why do you think The Brass Tap will do well in the communities you are opening in? We looked at several cities in Florida, and found that Tallahassee has a very positive investment climate. The number of new construction projects in Tallahassee is impressive. The community has a young, dynamic population that has a taste for high quality offerings, which is why The Brass Tap will work well in the community. Our businesses will play a valuable role in terms of bringing the best beer to beer lovers. What are your grand opening plans? People who ‘like’ our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/midtowntallahassee) will receive grand opening specials and discounts. Also, a percentage of our proceeds from the grand opening event will be donated to two local Tallahassee charities: Vet Inc and Patriotic Partners. What are your future development plans? We plan to open multiple units all over the country and are in the process of developing an aggressive timeline for the other openings.