Hidden Gems: Meet Marshall Norris of Simple Machine Brewing Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marshall Norris.

Hi Marshall, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Simple Machine Brewing started as a dream in 2013 when I made the decision that I wanted to go into business for myself. Knowing that I wanted to work in the beer industry and having only ever homebrewed, I left my corporate job for a brewing position in 2014 and never looked back. During this time, I worked at several local breweries, a beer packaging company, and even as a sales rep for a brewery. Years later, in early 2019, my partner and I finally signed a commercial lease for a space at 701 W Deer Valley Rd, Suite 1. This is the home of our 7000 sq/ft brewery and taproom. Finding a suitable building took a lot of work. My strategy was to find an area where craft beer was selling that needed to be more saturated and overpriced. North Phoenix was the winner.

We had our grand opening in January of 2020. Everything was going fantastic until mid-March 2020, when the world shut down. After a couple of days of worry and cluelessness about what the world would do, we made a hard pivot and switched our business model to fit the current environment. My previous experience paid off quickly when we suddenly had to work on a distribution model rather than a draft taproom.

After seeing steady growth in our first two years, we expanded our reach and opened a second taproom. The strategy for location remained the same; find an area where craft beer was selling, but that was still saturated with like industry. Plus, I fell in love once I saw the old red brick in the former Gaslight Building. One of the things we started doing at the taproom in Deer Valley was scheduling local musicians to come and play. This rekindled my love of a former passion for playing and performing music, so when the concept for Glendale arose, we decided we wanted to include a music venue.

We partnered with friends who own a local record company, DoubleHelix Records, for the new location. The new building will feature a former speakeasy-style bar, offering Simple Machine beer, guest beer, wine, cider, and mead. The second side will be a music venue called The Venue Grand, featuring a second bar, additional restrooms, and a 150-200 person capacity. It will feature local acts, touring acts, live podcasts, private events, movie nights, game nights, and more.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
The largest hurdler we’ve encountered, by a wide margin, was the 2020 pandemic shutdowns. We grew steadily in the first two years after switching our business model after only a few days. We’ve expanded our reach, our equipment, and our brand. Other than that, running a small business means workarounds, constant fires, and problems all the time. But that’s business. Nothing about owning and operating a small business is easy. The road could be smoother. Still, with the support of the community and our fantastic regulars, we have continued pursuing our dream.

We’ve been impressed with Simple Machine Brewing Company, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
Simple Machine Brewing produces carefully created craft beers (and a few seltzers) with the highest quality ingredients. Our products are cleverly marketed with custom artwork, and our brand is synonymous with community. We specialize in various craft beers but lately have been focusing on our West Coast IPA and Lager categories. We do more collaborations than any other brewery in the state. Being an active member of the community was paramount. For that reason, we have done dozens of charity collaborations and collaborations with other breweries and local small businesses. We constantly work to improve our products and create the best beer experience possible.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some changes you expect to see over the next five to ten years?
Every 2-3 years, the country’s most popular beer style changes. We have the advantage of being able to adjust and continue trying to be ahead of the curve. The next most popular thing for our industry, which we’ve already seen happening, is that more small breweries will expand their production to include distilling. We can take advantage of that one day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.simplemachinebrewing.com
• Instagram: @simplemachinebrewing
• Facebook: @simplemachinebrewing

Image Credits
Danny Upshaw