{"id":37580,"date":"2022-06-13T11:08:13","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T15:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=37580"},"modified":"2022-06-13T11:08:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T15:08:13","slug":"craft-brewery-lao-food-business-thrive-in-schuylerville-after-pandemic-setbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2022\/06\/craft-brewery-lao-food-business-thrive-in-schuylerville-after-pandemic-setbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Craft Brewery, Lao Food Business Thrive In Schuylerville After Pandemic Setbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Pam and Bret Pradachith-Demler are co-founders of Bound by Fate Brewing Taproom.
\u00a92022 Saratoga Photographer.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf<\/p>\n

After years of planning, Bound by Fate Brewing Taproom opened its doors at 31 Ferry St. in Schuylerville in February 2020.<\/p>\n

Just six weeks later, bars and restaurants were restricted to offering takeout only as a result of the COVID shutdown. At the time, the taproom served no food and did not package its beer.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a very small operation and were selling beer by the glass,\u201d said CEO Pam Pradachith-Demler who co-founded the business along with husband, Brett Demler, and his brothers Evan and Ryan Demler.<\/p>\n

Evan and Ryan have extensive industry experience but are not involved in day-to-day operations. Brett serves as head brewer and brews the beer in a barn located on the couple\u2019s Schuylerville property.<\/p>\n

During the shutdown, the taproom invested in a crowler machine, which enabled them to package their beer in 32-ounce cans. Because of pandemic-related law changes, they were allowed to sell their craft beer on the street outside of the taproom.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/b>\u201cWe were hand-filling the beer and selling it on the corner. That\u2019s how we got through those first three months. We did pretty well, and that\u2019s what kept our lights on,\u201d said Pradachith-Demler. \u201cWe survived the pandemic because the community of Schuylerville really embraced us and supported us through that time, and the operating overhead of starting a business here is so accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the state\u2019s reopening guidelines required strict social distancing guidelines, Bound by Fate\u2019s taproom simply wasn\u2019t large enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew that our initial space wasn\u2019t going to cut it and that we weren\u2019t going to make it through,\u201d she said. \u201cFortunately, the business next door to us was moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

After signing the lease on the adjoining space, they expanded their taproom from 840 to 3,000 square feet. A new bar was constructed and the outdoor deck was expanded.<\/p>\n

In order to comply with mandates that required bars to serve food, a small menu was created.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the pandemic did for us was that it escalated our business plan to year two\u2014the expansion of the taproom and the adding of a full kitchen,\u201d said Pradachith-Demler. \u201cDoing all of that work is what we had to do to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

A graduate of Columbia University with a degree in urban studies and sociology, she and Brett, also a graduate of Columbia, settled in California after they got married. It was while living there that he started brewing beer and managing a home brew shop.<\/p>\n

When the couple decided to pursue their dream of opening their own craft brewery, they were drawn to New York in part because of the state\u2019s farm brewing law that was passed in 2012. It was designed to increase demand for locally grown products.<\/p>\n

Obtaining a farm brewery license requires beer to be made primarily from locally-sourced ingredients, and Bound by Fate sources at least 60 percent of its ingredients from around the state. Because they have a state farm license, they can also serve arm ciders, wines, and spirits in addition to their craft beers.<\/p>\n

After finding a home in Schuylerville\u2014which happens to be where the Demler brothers were born\u2014Pradachith-Demler gave up her career in the nonprofit world to devote herself full-time to opening the brewery while raising three young children. Her daily commute now involves walking one block from their home to their taproom.<\/p>\n

In March 2021, Pradachith-Demler\u2019s sister Seng Luangrath was visiting from Washington D.C. She is a chef and offered to do a pop-up restaurant (a temporary restaurant hosted in an existing space) featuring Lao food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was thinking, \u2018We\u2019re serving Lao food in Schuylerville. Who\u2019s possibly going to come?\u201d said Pradachith-Demler. \u201cBut people came from as far away as Rochester, and we had a line out the door and around the corner every day of the pop-up. She has a very big following.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on the success of the pop-up as well as the Demler\u2019s realization that expanding their limited menu was essential in order for the business to survive, they decided to open Haan Lao at Bound by Fate Brewing. The restaurant specializes in Laotian food and is the only one of its kind in the state outside of New York City.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>According to Pradachith-Demler who was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, she was initially hesitant to specialize in Laotian food. Her family is from Laos, and they were among the thousands who were forced to flee the country after their government was overthrown during the Vietnam War era. She was 3 years old when they emigrated to the United States by way of California.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a refuge to this country, for me, assimilation was always my coping strategy to transitioning to American life. It was hard for me to imagine that rural America would embrace Laotian food. We barely even knew if they would embrace craft beer. But once we decided that would be the concept, we went full in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur food is rooted in traditional Laotian cuisine with an American\/pub-style brewery approach,\u201d said Pradachith-Demler. \u201cWe have fries and wings, but they are spiced with tamarind and fish sauce. Our dishes really run the gamut from traditional to cauliflower with spicy tamarind sauce. The spicy, citrusy, salty flavors of Southeast Asia are present in everything we make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kitchen hours are Tuesday through Friday\u00a0 <\/span>4-8 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.;\u00a0 <\/span>and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Bar and taproom hours are Wednesday through Friday, 4-9 p.m.;\u00a0 <\/span>Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.; and\u00a0 <\/span>Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.boundbyfatebrewing.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf After years of planning, Bound by Fate Brewing Taproom opened its doors at 31 Ferry St. in Schuylerville in February 2020. Just six weeks later, bars and restaurants were restricted to offering takeout only as a result of the COVID shutdown. At the time, the taproom served no food and did not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":37581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-businesses"],"yoast_head":"\r\nCraft Brewery, Lao Food Business Thrive In Schuylerville After Pandemic Setbacks - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2022\/06\/craft-brewery-lao-food-business-thrive-in-schuylerville-after-pandemic-setbacks\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Craft Brewery, Lao Food Business Thrive In Schuylerville After Pandemic Setbacks - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf After years of planning, Bound by Fate Brewing Taproom opened its doors at 31 Ferry St. in Schuylerville in February 2020. 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