Today we’d like to introduce you to Haidar Hachem.
Haidar, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My wife and I didn’t think we would be where we were today when we started dating back in 2017. My wife, Marilyn Orozco (who goes by Mari), went to Nova South Eastern to become a doctor. She one day came to me and asked if I would be mad if she stopped studying to become a doctor and tried out digital marketing. I told her I didn’t care, as long as she was happy that is all that matters. By the way, all Mari has to do is take her boards and she’s a doctor, so it’s not like she stopped halfway through her degree or anything. The one stipulation I gave her was to find a client within six months; and if she couldn’t then she would have to go and complete her degree. Well, she found one client and then another and then another after that. And this is where my story starts. Up until this point, I had graduated from Florida International University with a degree in civil engineering and was working with my father at his structural engineering firm YHCE. I would go with Mari to her media dines and would just sit there twiddling my thumbs waiting to eat while she was snapping pictures and talking with the owners & chefs about their backstory and why they decided to start their restaurant.
So one day decided “hey, I like beer, let me blog about that” and that is how “thirsty samurai piggy” came to be. I started doing beer reviews online, I got a freelance writing gig with Miami New Times for craft beer and eventually started writing for Porch Drinking which is a national publication as well. I was doing what Mari did for restaurants for breweries! So fast forward to 2019, we were really good friends with John Falco of Lincoln’s Beard Brewing Co and he was actually the officiate of our wedding at Lincoln’s Beard upstairs on the mezzanine. Little did I know that he would be starting Strange Beast Brewpub and Pizzeria a little while later and would ask me come on as a brewer. I quit my job of engineering and went full time into brewing… then the pandemic hit. At that point, it was a do or die decision, do I go back to engineering or continue to chase my dream of being a brewer. I stood my ground and decided I wanted to open my own brewery and that is how Shōjō was born. Mari and I love the Japanese culture and wanted to introduce a vibe that intertwines the Japanese culture along with my Lebanese background and Mari’s Nicaraguan background.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have been blessed through and through. Obviously, the biggest challenge is making enough money to continue on, but we’re working as hard as possible to chase this dream. We had the opportunity to gypsy brew (essentially renting out space at another established brewery) and brew our beers there. We have so far released three beers: 1) Kanpai which was a Rice Lager fermented with Sake yeast that was a collaboration with Unbranded brewing and also where we are gypsy brewing; 2) Kitsune which was a Fruited Sour Ale with Watermelon, Dragonfruit & Yuzu & 3) Kodama which was a Double Dry Hopped Double IPA with Grungeist & Cashmere hops. We are going to release our fourth beer “Hinode” on 10/09 at Lincoln’s Beard Brewing which is a Rice Lager and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Debris Free Oceans. Can’t forget to mention King Fox and MIA Beer Co with whom we have done collabs with. We did an Italian Pilsner called Where’s Jo? with King Fox that will be releasing on 10/02 and we did a Peach, Guava, Dragonfruit & Raspberry Fruited Sour Ale called Rising Sunset with MIA Beer Co that is available now. We are going to continue on gypsy brewing till we make enough money to open our own space.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
So I’m a brewer. Lmao. That’s really all there is to it. I make beer so the world can drink and enjoy, but before that I was a civil engineer with a discipline in structural engineering. I’ve been able to design some pretty cool things and did a lot of work in and around Miami, also internationally as well too. I got to design the structural framing for the Ugo Rondinone standing rocks in Miami Beach, France & South Korea. So that’s pretty cool I guess. I’ve also done the design for Hometown BBQ & Oasis Tower in Wynwood all out of YHCE, Inc. While all Mari has to do is her boards to become a doctor, she is a digital marketer extraordinaire. She manages a lot of businesses around Miami both in the brewing world and out of it as well. She is also going to be doing the marketing for Shōjō Beer Co as well!
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m an avid runner and ultra distances are my favorite. I once ran 75 miles in 24 hours to raise money for St. Jude’s Children Hospital.
Pricing:
- Hats: $25
- Shirts:$25-30
- Masks: $20
- Stickers: $2
Contact Info:
- Email: Shojobeer@gmail.com
- Website: https://Shojo.beer
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shojobeerco
