Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Piecora.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Origin Story
Greg started home brewing beer in 2008 after a scuba diving vacation to the island nation of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. The hotel where he was staying had a very small brewery operated by a retired Austrian Brew Master. Greg struck up a conversation with the Brew Master and after a brief tour of the brewery Greg returned home and ordered his first home brew kit. Greg shared his home brew with family and friends and served his beer at charity events and home brew festivals and won several gold, silver and bronze medals.
In January of 2014, after 21 years in Florida Department of Corrections Probation and Parole service, Greg decided to retire from law enforcement and follow his dream of opening his own brewery.
Why did we choose Historic Downtown Sanford to build our brewery? Quite simply, Sanford has a historic soul and prides itself on being different than most Florida cities. The city leaders welcomed our idea of opening a brewery, which had never been done in its long history. The city’s Mayor, Jeff Triplett welcomed the idea that we were bringing a very different business concept to Sanford and helped fast track our permitting process so that we could open as soon as possible. The city worked with us on planning and zoning as well as permitting and economic development. We had few issues with the city because they realized that we were serious about opening Sanford’s first micro-brewery and that we brought honesty and professionalism to the table.
We chose the 100-year-old D. O. Brown Building located at 419 S. Sanford Ave as our brewery location. Formerly the home of the Stokes’ Seafood Market, a business that occupied the building from 1938 to 1992. The building is located in the newly renovated Sanford Ave streetscape. The city of Sanford spent almost 3 million dollars improving the street, lighting and utilities, which made our brewery location a smart choice. Our concept is to provide a neighborhood brewery with warn lighting and a place to meet up with friends that fit perfectly with the feel and look of the 100 year old building.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Business progressed smoothly until the Covid pandemic. Our business, like so many small businesses in Florida and throughout the country have had many challenges to overcome since the pandemic. Peoples shopping, eating out and entertainment habits have changed. Economic hardships, supply chain issues, over taxations by federal, state and local government, price of utilities, food, fuel and entertainment have increased to the point that people cannot afford simple pleasures anymore.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our philosophy was to open the brewery that I could afford themselves and to grow the business slowly and responsibly. Throughout the ten and a half years we have been opened, we expanded the brewery and brewing staff as well as added more inside seating and the restaurant. The addition of the food service has greatly affected profitability, and we have gained a reputation for not only excellent beer but quality food as well.
We provide a comfortable environment to drink and eat, a place where everyone is welcome.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Deserving of the most credit is our brew staff, Phil Mejia and Taylor Ward. Their continued hard work, attention to detail and desire to constantly improve on the beers we make have been the biggest asset to Wop’s Hops Brewing Co.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wopshopsbrewing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wopshopsbrewing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WopsHopsBrewingCompany
Image Credits
All photo are property of Wop’s Hops Brewing Co.
