A craft beer enthusiast with passion for living life to the fullest, Karen Hertz was thrilled when Holidaily Brewing Company first opened its doors in 2015. The business was the culmination of years of hard work and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and fulfilled a dream she had long held. The idea for the brewery initially came after Ms. Hertz beat cancer (twice) and was required to go on a gluten-free diet. She was frustrated by the lack of quality gluten-free beer options and, after a lot of research, decided to create her own.
Now, the Holidaily Brewing Company is one of only five breweries in the country to produce only gluten-free beer, is the only one owned by a woman, and is the only one in Colorado. Not a single gluten-containing ingredient is allowed in their facility, meaning there is never a chance of cross-contamination and that it is 100 percent safe for everyone, whether gluten allergic or intolerant or just passionate about delicious beer. In her role as the owner and chief brewista, Ms. Hertz is really focused on distribution; her main goal is help people who weren’t previously able to drink, and she finds that being able to help others enjoy life is very rewarding. She knows firsthand how hard it can be to be the only one not able to have a beer at a tailgate or a party, and is proud to be making a difference in that niche. Another responsibility Ms. Hertz has is coming up with innovative beer styles, so that her customers have a wide variety of options. Looking to the future, she intends to let the company grow as big as it can.
An asset to Ms. Hertz’s entrepreneurial endeavor is the extensive business background she has to pull from. She worked with MillerCoors in distribution for 10 years, was the business development manager at CenterPoint Integrated Solutions, and was a customer service project manager at Jacobson Companies. She also holds a Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial studies from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Ms. Hertz’s success has not gone unnoticed. She was honored to be recognized in Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.