Brewery Ardennes and M&T Bank
Built inside a restored 120-year-old sheep barn in Geneva, New York is Brewery Ardennes, a small craft brewery specializing in Belgian-style beer. Owners Derek and Stacey Edinger opened Ardennes in 2021 and pride themselves in providing an authentic, European experience.
When the Edingers first purchased the property, they knew financing would be tricky. The land includes the barn for their business as well as a residence, meaning the Edingers would need to finance both at the same time. They chose M&T Bank after shopping around with several banks in the area that would be able to finance a home mortgage and a bank loan for the brewery.
“It was important to us to be with a bank that was big enough that it had all of that infrastructure, but small enough that we weren't just a number,” says Stacey, who recalls how M&T helped the Edingers apply for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan and provided support online and in-person, even having bankers visit the brewery when needed. This level of care from M&T made a difference for the Edingers during the COVID-19 pandemic when in-person interactions were rare.
In order to better serve their customers during the slowdown of business and complexity of SBA funding due to COVID, M&T were committed to having an open and honest dialogue about processes. They ensured the Edingers were well-informed during their mortgage and small business financing journey.
As their business planning and construction financing came to a halt in March 2020 because of the pandemic, Derek shared how “candid and open” M&T was with what they were facing. “I think that transparency on their part to say we’ve never been in a pandemic like this was great”. The Edingers were able to close on their loans in November of 2020, with M&T’s support & guidance along the way.
“I think, especially as a small business, not knowing where to go, but [with M&T] it's easy for us. You know, we just call Pat and we say, what about this or what about that?” says Derek, referencing Pat Socker, SVP, M&T Business Banking Senior Relationship Manager, who was always willing to provide his insight to help the Edingers during the planning and construction phase of their business that ranged from “anything from loans for capital equipment to something to do with online banking”.
Since opening in May 2021, Derek and Stacey continue to work closely with M&T and appreciate the care their bankers take as well as the ease of access they have to fulfill all their banking needs.