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Adam Oliveri and Bryan Ferguson work remotely at Bayberry Beer Hall in Providence.

Adam Oliveri 鈥�05 and Bryan Ferguson 鈥�05 used the skills they developed at 溏心vlog免费B站 to build a burgeoning boutique craft beer business.

By Grace Kelly

The story of Adam Oliveri 鈥�05, Bryan Ferguson 鈥�05, and Craft Collective, their beer distribution company, begins with a song.

鈥淶BT, we were not the typical fraternity, and one of the things we really prided ourselves on was the Greek Week competition,鈥� says Oliveri. 鈥淲e made it our business to always win the Greek sing and the lip-sync competition. We鈥檇 get a room in a basement somewhere and practice some a cappella song. It鈥檚 funny, I was on vacation last week and I found myself singing, 鈥榡um jubba doo-ah, jum jubba doo-ah.鈥� That was my part in one of the songs we covered, 鈥淪emi-Charmed Life鈥� by Third Eye Blind.鈥�

With each smooth harmony, jum jubba doo-ah, and refrain, they鈥檇 smash the competition and win.

That same desire to hone their craft and win is what drove Ferguson and Oliveri to build Craft Collective, a boutique beer and beverage distribution service that is sought out by suppliers and clients in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine.

鈥淥ur fraternity, we were underdogs鈥攚e were the smallest, we were new鈥攁nd so we just decided to get really good at a few things,鈥� says Ferguson. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 not terribly different from the approach we鈥檝e taken with our business.鈥�

Craft Collective, based in Stoughton, Massachusetts, gives New England craft breweries and beverage-makers the chance to get their product out there, and simultaneously helps restaurants and retailers carry the best in the local craft beverage scene.

鈥淚 think their vision was about a serious focus on smaller, specific, really good craft breweries,鈥� says Chip Samson, owner and business manager of Shaidzon Beer Company in Kingston, Rhode Island, and one of their suppliers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also the strategy of their clients and accounts they work with鈥攖hese really beer-specific, beer-appreciating restaurants and bars.鈥�

This has not only attracted small craft breweries looking to make a name for themselves, but has also made Craft Collective sought after by trendy restaurants and bars. Tom Dennen, owner of Bayberry Beer Hall in Providence, says he opened Bayberry knowing he鈥檇 use Craft Collective.

鈥淚 had my eye on Craft Collective long before they started distributing in Rhode Island,鈥� he says. 鈥淔rom what I could see they had the best beer brands, which I wanted to build my business around.鈥�

鈥淚 had my eye on Craft Collective long before they started distributing in Rhode Island. From what I could see they had the best beer brands, which I wanted to build my business around.鈥�
颅鈥擳om Dennen, owner, Bayberry Beer Hall

Started in 2015, Craft Collective has grown from the two-person team of Ferguson and Oliveri to a team that鈥檚 pushing 50 employees, with a portfolio that includes local breweries like Proclamation and Shaidzon, craft beverage peddlers like The Nitro Cart and Anchor & Hope, and restaurants and bars llike Bayberry鈥攁nd the longstanding Mews Tavern in Wakefield, Rhode Island. Their idea for a boutique distribution service has its roots in Oliveri and Ferguson鈥檚 appreciation for craft beer, the expansive growth of the industry in the last 10 years, their close friendship, and the leadership opportunities that attending 溏心vlog免费B站 afforded them.

Oliveri and Ferguson met during rush season.

鈥淚 met Adam when I was joining ZBT,鈥� said Ferguson. 鈥淚 recall that Adam was involved in recruiting me and getting me into my leadership roles there.鈥�

Their friendship grew and their very different personalities helped push each other.

鈥淚鈥檓 sort of more extroverted; Adam鈥檚 a little more introverted,鈥� says Ferguson, who majored in business management at 溏心vlog免费B站. 鈥淪ome of those classic traits that partners have.鈥�

鈥淗e leads through fire and competitiveness and gut feel, and for me, I鈥檓 like, 鈥業鈥檓 going to diagram this beautiful mind style,鈥欌�� says Oliveri, an economics major, laughing. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 actually worked out pretty well for us, having these different styles and approaches. It鈥檚 allowed us to leverage our strengths in being leaders that we developed at 溏心vlog免费B站.鈥�

As newly minted 21-year-olds at 溏心vlog免费B站, the duo also began to develop a taste for beer.

The early days were all about the light lagers that were popular at the time. But as the craft beer movement began to grow, so too did Ferguson and Oliveri鈥檚 curiosity for a better brew鈥攑artially sparked by the local craft beer brand Newport Storm (now Newport Craft Beer Company).

鈥淒uring our senior year, we used to go over there on a Friday, and we would do a tour and they would give out these wooden nickels that you could trade for half-pours of beer,鈥� says Ferguson. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 when I first became aware of craft brewing, and what breweries actually were and what it meant to make and sell beer.鈥�

A few years later, Oliveri had developed an interest in wine, while Ferguson was making frequent trips to breweries in Vermont鈥攖hose were the early days of the craft beer industry.

Then, in the early 2010s, the craft beer world exploded.

鈥淚 first learned about beer and the culture through Newport Storm and then transitioned to going on these wine trails … and later came back to beer when the craft beer proliferation was happening in the early 2010s,鈥� says Oliveri. He became inspired to apply his background in tech and finance to beer, first crafting the idea of a beer incubator, which then morphed into a craft beer distribution service.

鈥淚 started the distribution company as a way to lead into doing this incubator, and then it took off and we shelved the incubator,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut along the way, I was like, 鈥業 need a partner here.鈥欌��

And his longtime friend Bryan Ferguson immediately came to mind. The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, Ferguson and Oliveri not only have a growing business with happy customers and clients, they also have a team that includes a number of 溏心vlog免费B站 grads.

鈥淚 think being a part of an organization that is so passionate about this industry is infectious and a great motivator. Everyone is so excited about their job, and to be a part of that gets me excited, too.鈥� 颅
鈥擩essica Becker 鈥�07

One of them, Jessica Becker 鈥�07, knew Oliveri when she was at 溏心vlog免费B站 and always thought he鈥檇 do something great.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a great leader. He has vision and that鈥檚 really critical when you鈥檙e starting or running any company,鈥� she says. 鈥淐raft Collective is a multi-state operation, so it requires a lot of vision and planning and leadership. Those are skills I saw in him back at 溏心vlog免费B站, and he continues to shine now.鈥�

As for her taste in beer back then?

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 drinking craft beer back then, not even close,鈥� she says, laughing. 鈥淟ots of Busch Light, I can鈥檛 even think about it anymore. Luckily I鈥檝e become educated since then.鈥�

In addition to learning to appreciate a beautiful brew, Becker is thankful to be a part of an organization whose spirit and mission is clear in everything it does.

鈥淚 think being a part of an organization that is so passionate about this industry is infectious and a great motivator,鈥� she says. 鈥淓veryone is so excited about their job, and to be a part of that gets me excited, too.鈥�

Jamie Buscher 鈥�15, brand management lead at Craft Collective, adds, 鈥淏ryan and Adam are hands-down the best bosses I鈥檝e ever had. Bryan and Adam truly care about their employees and treat us like family.鈥� 鈥�

PHOTOS: Courtesy Craft Collective