When beer enthusiast Sebastien Tron moved from Paris to the Bay Area, his Parisian friends joked that he was in for a lot of light, tasteless beer. They didn’t know that Tron was headed for a craft brew mecca. Tron himself was amazed to find hundreds of distinctive microbreweries within driving distance.
While at Haas, he sought to bring these beers into people’s homes. “Most of these small breweries struggle to grow their business,” Tron says. The problem was cost. Beyond the taproom, small breweries sold a few additional kegs to local bars and restaurants. But packaging for a wider customer base was too expensive.
In 2015 Tron and two partners founded Hopsy, initially as a Bay Area service delivering growlers (jugs that breweries fill from the tap) from a dozen or so local microbreweries.
Hopsy has since transformed to providing customers with their own tabletop dispenser/chiller (via a partnership with Krups) and a selection of beers delivered in 67-ounce mini-kegs. Hopsy’s selection rotates each month, introducing customers to a variety of small-batch brews in a way never before possible. Hopsy has since expanded to the Midwest and East Coast, each region offering a selection of local beers along with some international options. To date, Hopsy has worked with over a hundred breweries. Keeping up with the booming demand has been a challenge, Tron says, but it’s been great to witness the excitement the home tap system has generated. “We’re delivering beer,” Tron says. “We’re bringing happiness to people.”