Recession a Time for Innovation for Lakewood Resident

Recessions have been called the mothers of innovation.

People get laid off, people get creative. 

That’s the case for Lakewood resident Mickie Rinehart, who founded Hops Drops — a startup company that takes average beer and gives it some kick. 

Two years ago, after the 45-year-old was laid off from her nonprofit job, where she was the director of operations, Rinehart began an unsuccessful hunt for a new gig.

Then, she got innovative.

She attended a class for hopeful entrepreneurs at last April.

And the plan for her business, Hops Drops, was born.

The idea is simple: Take a crummy beer, add some “drops” of flavor, and voila, you’ve got better beer.

The idea went from a kitchen experiment, to the drawing board, to a business that keeps growing.

“I knew I had a business idea, and I went for it,” she said. “Nobody thinks I am as awesome as I know I am, so, I will start a business. You can have an idea, but when you put it out there, you have to act on it.”

Right now, there are seven flavors: Cherry, raspberry, lemon, blueberry, lime, coffee and chocolate. 

She’s hoping to add pumpkin and apple flavors to the line.

Hops flavor — for which the company is named — is coming, too.

“It would never match the taste of craft beers, but if you’re only in a place with crappy beers, you can make it better,” Rinehart said, adding that her recipe is formulated specifically to work with alcohol. 

“The concept of flavoring your beer is big. This isn’t a foreign concept. The idea of flavoring your beer and water is already out there. This is really the next natural step.”

Rinehart entered Start Up Lakewood’s Ideation Challenge last year — and won. 

Mike Belsito, the director of ideation for Startup Lakewood, remembers when he first heard Rinehart’s pitch last April. He said it’s not uncommon for people to lose interest in their business idea once they learn of the work it takes to go from the drawing board to reality.

“Mickie was undeterred, though,” he said. “Instead of giving up, she came back to me for several one-on-one meetings where we discussed potential business models, marketing plans, etc. It was clear to me that she was passionate about taking Hops Drops and turning it into something much more than an idea.” 

Rinehart’s become sort of a media darling, appearing on a local late-night newscast after Super Bowl.

Then, NBC picked up the story and it went national. 

Her telephone started ringing.

Even with a company that’s attracting lots of attention, and customers starting to line up, Rinehart still has bills to pay.

She’s still looking for a full-time job.

“It’s been a year and a half, and I am still looking,” she said. “I started this to derive income. Right now, all the money this makes goes right back into the business. I am stuck between a rock and hard place.”

She said she’s also looking for some seed capital to take the business to the next level.

“I’ve got to get out of my kitchen,” she said. “I don’t have the capital to meet the demand. I am still bootstrapping it."

“I am building the bike as I am riding it.”