Meet the brothers behind Philadelphia’s first Black-owned brewery

A pair of brothers have opened Two Locals Brewing Company, a sprawling brew pub in West Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania’s first known Black-owned craft brewery.

A pair of brothers have added another historic location to Philadelphia: Their venture Two Locals Brewing Co., a sprawling 6,000-square-foot brew pub in the city’s expanding University City section of West Philadelphia, is Pennsylvania’s first known Black-owned craft brewery. 

“It just meant a lot to us to be here,” Mengistu Koiler said. “This is where we grew up.”

Two Locals, which Mengistu and his brother, Richard Koiler, opened in January, was the culmination of nearly a decade of hard work.

Mengistu, 43, and Richard, 33, began as backyard home-brewers in 2016, still working their day jobs. Mengistu spent years on Wall Street in finance, while Richard worked in accounting. Their love of ales, lagers and stouts transcended hobby-level enthusiasm to the idea of becoming their own bosses. 

“Full days, like 8 to 1 in the afternoon, you know, we’d be brewing beer,” Mengistu said. “Just gave away a lot of free beer, which helped, you know.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-locals-philadelphia-black-owned-brewery-rcna141753

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