We recently had the chance to connect with Haidar Hachem and have shared our conversation below.
Haidar , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. When have you felt most loved—and did you believe you deserved it?
We have felt most loved by the community on the grand opening of our new pop up space.
We had to reopen our business because we had to close our previous space due to our landlord letting us know we had to vacate the property because they were going to demolish the warehouses we were located in and build apartments.
It was beautiful to see the community we built around our old space come out and support us in our temporary new home.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
What’s going on yall?! My name is Haidar Hachem and I am co-owner of Shōjō’s Dojo. We are Florida’s first craft brewery and bar. Mari and I started our Shōjō Brewing Co back in 2020 and were contract brewing our beer up until 2023 when we opened up Shōjō’s Dojo. Upon opening our space we had shifted to not just brewing beer, but sake as well.
Shōjō’s Dojo is a Nicaraguan & Lebanese inspired brewery with a Japanese aesthetic opened by two Miami natives. Their goal is to let their story be told through their beers, sake and art incorporating flavors found in their cultures, heritage and most importantly memories from their countries having had grown up in immigrant households. They involve their community in their efforts by hosting fundraisers for every new release supporting various local and global charities and collecting supplies for those in need.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My wife and best friend Mari. Easy question.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I was running an ultramarathon in Washington State, the White River 50, and I was extremely exhausted. I made it to the third to last aid station and was informed of the time. I had almost no time left over, but when I learned that the next portion of the race was downhill, I kicked it into overdrive and ended up finishing the race with 15 minutes left on the clock!
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is the private version of me. I don’t hide anything or change myself from my friends and family to the public. You’re always going to get the real me.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop doom scrolling on my phone.
Contact Info:
- Website: Https://shojo.beer
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/shojosdojo
