In just over 10 years, Voodoo Brewing Co. has grown from a local brewery to an internationally acclaimed one and is the fastest-growing brewpub franchise on the planet.

After opening their first taproom in Erie, Pennsylvania to a line wrapped around the block, Matteo and Curt Rachocki knew they were doing something right with Voodoo Brewing Co. They began considering how they might expand the product and experience to even more people nationwide. And what better way to expand a community-focused company than with local, community-based owners? So, they launched franchising.

However, the pandemic soon hit, and corporate locations were forced to close. During a time that was notoriously difficult for food and beverage concepts of all types, the Voodoo Brewing Team knew they would need to take serious action to survive.

I had known the Voodoo Brewing Co. team through their partnership with my company, Raintree, but I decided to get more involved. I knew the system could grow to be a successful franchise with the right support, and wanted to go all in.

I invested in a brewpub concept in the height of a pandemic that had forced many restaurants to close or even fail, specifically because I knew that the Voodoo experience was one people were longing for as a direct result of pandemic-related isolation. After this, development took off.

Two years later, we continue to brew some of the best craft beer out there, and we’ve also branched out into craft cocktails and seltzers. With 17 thriving brewpubs in multiple key markets, another 23 projected to open before the end of the year and even more in some stage of development, we’ve grown to be the fastest-growing brewpub franchise on the planet and don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

Brent Dowling is the Chairman of the Board of Voodoo Franchise Group