Brewing Something Bigger: HopLore Brewing Co.
What began in 2017 in a historic mill in Leesburg has grown into a thriving craft brewery and restaurant with a new lakefront home, expanded production, and a growing team.
Stefan King, Keith Wehmeyer and Andrew Wilks own KH Brewing LLC, doing business as HopLore Brewing Co. HopLore opened in May 2017 at The Old Leesburg Mill on Old State Road 15 in Leesburg, Indiana. Since then, the business has continued to evolve, navigating the challenges of the pandemic, expanding production, opening a second taproom, experimenting with new concepts, and ultimately relocating.
Today, HopLore Brewing Co. operates from its new waterfront location at 70 EMS T16 Lane on Tippecanoe Lake. The larger facility has allowed the business to expand its team to more than 30 employees. The move marks an exciting new chapter for a business that has spent nearly a decade adapting, growing, and finding new ways to serve its customers.
“It’s been great to see a lot of hard work come to fruition,” Keith said.
Brewing Something for Everyone
HopLore is a full-service, family-friendly restaurant offering a wide selection of craft beer, wine, and liquor. The brewery produces a broad spectrum of styles, including IPAs, cream and amber ales, lagers, fruited sours, stouts, and gluten-free options. HopLore beer is also distributed to restaurants, taprooms, and retail locations throughout northern and central Indiana.
The new restaurant location offers more than food and craft beer. Guests can enjoy lake views, spend time at the outdoor tiki bar, or head inside to the game room, which features pinball machines and dart boards. The space is designed to welcome everyone.
Growing Through Change
Over the past nine years, HopLore has faced a series of major business decisions. They established a dedicated brewery location, increased production capacity by 300%, opened a second taproom, pivoted that location into a Mexican restaurant, and evaluated equity crowdfunding options before deciding it wasn't the right fit. Meanwhile, the craft beer industry has changed significantly.
“Now we are navigating our way through a consolidation in the craft beer market that has seen many of our fellow breweries shutter their operations or outsource production,” Keith explained.
Rather than staying locked into one plan, HopLore continued adapting. The decision to relocate allowed the company to build for the future while maintaining strong relationships with the Leesburg community that supported it from the beginning.
For Keith, growing a business isn't just about what happens inside the brewery - it’s also about being part of a larger local business community.
“We think it’s really important for small businesses to support each other. Over 34% of our annual operating expenses are spent with other local business owners.”
Finding Resources For Growth
HopLore first connected with the Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC) while evaluating potential relocation and expansion locations. Since then, the Indiana SBDC has been a resource as HopLore navigated some of its biggest business decisions.
“Through it all ISBDC has provided consultations, analysis tools, grant applications, and other resources that have helped us make solid business decisions and supplement our own skills in brewing, restaurant management, and financial analysis,” Keith noted.
He encourages other entrepreneurs to use the Indiana SBDC to fill those gaps and evaluate the road ahead. “Small business owners bring plenty of experience but quickly realize that there are many aspects of running a business that present a learning curve,” Keith said. “Adapting to change and being flexible in your plans is key. Having someone to consult with on those changes is extremely important.”
Learning, Adapting and Looking Ahead
For Keith, one of the most important lessons of entrepreneurship is recognizing that business owners don't have to know everything. He credits a piece of advice from his grandmother: “You will never know everything, but you can learn anything.”
HopLore is entering its next chapter with a larger facility, a growing team, and a new view along Tippecanoe Lake. Keith credits the people behind the business for making that growth possible, especially the employees and the communities that have supported HopLore along the way.
“Their experience, team chemistry, and desire to deliver a great dining and craft beer experience for our guests have been crucial in our scaling up at this new location in such a short time.”
Learn about HopLore Brewing Co. at www.hoplore.com or find them on Facebook and Instagram.