Two Siblings Start Their Own Brewery

Fourteen years after graduating from RIC, two siblings – Kyle Toste ’10 and Kerri Allard ’10 – opened the Crafted Hope Brewing Company in East Greenwich.

Craft beer is their passion. “If we go on a trip, the first thing we do is go to a brewery,” says Allard. “We love the art of crafting beer and all things related to it.”

Craft breweries are small, independently owned commercial breweries noted for experimenting with unique ingredients and diverse brewing techniques and flavors.

Toste and Allard make a large variety of different types of beers, ranging from lagers, ales and IPAs to sour and fruity beers, along with specialties like mango-flavored beer, which has been a top seller. They also have nonalcoholic options.

Previously, Toste, a management major, served as an assistant brewer and marketing coordinator for another brewery, while Allard, a nursing major, has been pursuing a career as a travel nurse. They both agree that RIC was pivotal in providing them with the experiences and skills they needed to make their dream a reality.

“RIC is definitely a great school to prepare you for the next steps,” Toste says. “I’m glad I went there. I’ve collectively done the small fragments, I've been an operation manager and marketing coordinator and I’ve done social media for multiple companies, now the big parts are kind of coming together owning a business.”

“For me, being at RIC helped me come out of my shadow,” says Allard. “All those years working in leadership roles, interacting with patients and seeing how a hospital is run have been helpful. I’m putting all that knowledge into running our company.”

Toste oversees the day-to-day operations, which include brewing and working the taproom. He serves drinks, interacts with customers and does other tasks related to the operation of the bar. Allard comes in on her days off to assist with any production and operating matters and to work on social media marketing. They both wear many hats.

In a fanciful way, Crafted Hope Brewing Company’s taproom is a representation of the Ocean State. The walls are painted in various shades of blue with a mural of the Pell Bridge and the Castle Hill lighthouse, and Hope signs all around. It’s a welcoming place, with shiny, silver tanks filled with their specialty brews and seating for 100. 

“Right now, we’re at the honeymoon stage,” says Toste. “We’ve been consistently busy every weekend. I think we’re doing something right. We’re going to start distributing our product around the state, so our name will be getting out there more. We’d like to eventually add a food aspect to get more licensing and to open up our product line.”

For this pair, their strong relationship has helped them get through the ups and downs.

“I know he’s someone I can trust,” says Allard. “I don’t have to worry about those business horror stories you hear in the news. I also know I can be upfront with him. It’s nice to have someone you can be point-blank with.” 

“We’ve known each other almost 40 years now,” says Toste, laughing. “A lot of people say, ‘Don’t do business with your family,’ but I’m more than happy that I did. We’re not just a brewery, we’re a family, we’re a community. So come on down, have a craft beer and make some friends.”