Project Details

THE ASK

What in the world do we do to generate income when our taproom shut down due to COVID-19?

THE RESULT

The MadTree Taproom shut down along with most of the country on March 15, 2020 (ironically, the Ides of March). The very next day, a new business idea was born and implemented by lunch. The Adult Ice Cream truck hit the streets carrying packaged beer and pizza kits to make at home. A Spotify playlist made by employees blared over a bluetooth speaker as employees volunteered to make it easy for local residents to get their local beer and a meal during this time of uncertainty.

The result was far beyond anything any of us ever imagined. Support came flying in from all over. Requests and directions to “come down my street”, friends notifying their neighborhoods about our truck in their Facebook groups, group chats, and word of mouth spread like wildfire.

Others took notice. Local and national news picked up the story. A consulting group did a case study video recapping these efforts to help bring in money but also provide hope to those during uncertain times. People would track the truck to pass the time or let their family and friends know when it was coming to their neighborhood.

Thousands of messages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter poured in on top of hundreds of thousands of impressions in a single day with hundreds of shares made for the most engaged period of MadTree’s entire history on social media.

We eventually added another truck to the fleet, implemented a drive thru service in our side parking lot before opening the taproom back up at the end of May.

We had to be creative, scrappy, pivot on a dime, and learn from failures instantaneously while all working together as a team. Knowing that there were those less fortunate or this was the highlight of someone’s day is what kept us going day in and day out.

It’s one thing to say we’re about connecting people with each other. It’s another to do it in a way that resonated with the community and will be a light-hearted memory during a dark time for years to come.