Brewing the American Dream

Looking to take your food or beverage business to the next level?

Accion Opportunity Fund and Samuel Adams are here to help. For more than a decade, AOF has been the national nonprofit partner for Samuel Adams’ signature philanthropic program, Brewing the American Dream.

Samuel Adams believes that if an entrepreneur has the guts, drive and perseverance to follow their own path, access to resources shouldn’t be what stands in the way. That’s why Samuel Adams and AOF have teamed up to provide coaching, business mentoring, and other support to hardworking business owners in the food and beverage industries.

With support from Samuel Adams, AOF has provided tens of millions of dollars in capital to food and beverage entrepreneurs. What can Brewing the American Dream do for you?

Loans

Getting a loan is one of the hardest parts of turning an idea into an American Dream. With support from Samuel Adams, Accion Opportunity Fund connects entrepreneurs to affordable capital that can help them realize their dreams. Get started on your small business loan application here.

BOOTCAMP

The Brewing the American Dream Bootcamp is a six-week program designed to help food and beverage entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. Entrepreneurs need to be able to showcase their quality, passion, and unique product in a short amount of time to make a lasting impression and get their product sold through different channels. No matter if it’s talking to a buyer of a national chain, selling products at a local corner store, or collaborating with a social media influencer, our Bootcamp will equip entrepreneurs with a solid foundation for how to get their product in front of new customers.

In order to be eligible for Bootcamp, applicants must:

• Be at least a 50% owner of a food or beverage business that currently sells packaged products
• Be located in New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, or Vermont
• Be at least 21 years old
• Have a business bank account

2024 Bootcamp applications were open from February 1-29 and have now closed

Speed Coaching

AOF’s broad network of partner experts including lawyers, accountants, marketers, and Samuel Adams staff all come together provide free advice in communities across the country.

Sign up for the BTAD Newsletter to get information about upcoming Speed Coaching events. 

Pitch Room Competition

If you’ve got a packaged food or beverage product, we’ve got just to contest for you. Pitch your product, receive expert advice, and get a chance to win a $10,000 business grant and extended mentoring from Samuel Adams. Want to know when the next competition happens? Join the BTAD Newsletter list to stay in the loop.

Coaching Calls

Ever wanted to get first-hand advice from an industry expert? A Brewing the American Dream coaching call is an opportunity for a one-on-one conversation with Sam Adams experts on any of these six key business topics: 

• Digital Marketing + Social Media
• Buyer + Distributor Relations
• Marketing + Sales
• Legal Advice on Packaging
• Branding + Design
• Hiring + Employee Relations

Join Brewing the American Dream and get connected to your coach today!

Educational Webinars

Samuel Adams employees and food and beverage industry experts lead free webinars on topics including food labeling, design, social media, and more. Make sure you’re on our list so you can sign up for the next webinar. 

Promotional Opportunities

BTAD participants are featured on Samuel Adams’ website and considered for other valuable promotional opportunities. If you’d like to be considered for these promotions, be sure to join Brewing the American Dream.