We didn’t first intend to make tap handles. We started making baseball bats with the idea of having the most customizable bats available. Black Widow Bats has over two billion customizable combinations available. Bat sales were brisk through the summer but we knew that to remain in business through the winter we were going to have to come up with a less seasonal product.
A custom wood baseball bat
During a strategy session over craft beer the idea to make tap handles was started. Getting in the door to produce tap handles for breweries was difficult. But then we came up with the idea that we could make one off tap handles and sell them in the same way we made our bats. Being homebrewers ourselves, we were excited that the customer could create their own customizable tap handle using a design tool on our website. The finished product looks like it belongs in a brewery but is practical to use at home on the kegerator faucet. Using the same process which doesn’t have exuberant setup fees, we can produce tap handles for small to medium breweries as well.
After finding success in producing tap handles, we’ve been steadily increasing our capabilities. We now have in-house equipment for full 3D design and production, laser engraving and graphics printing. Unlike some other companies that import their tap handles from other countries, we remain committed to making ours here in the USA. Since we don’t have to wait to communicate or ship product overseas, it takes months less than some of our competitors. We continue to grow by offering the values for all our customers from homebrewers to breweries with distribution.
Laser engraving a tap handle