Blind Barrels

The SIBC student team had an opportunity to work with Blind Barrels’ CEO/Founder Bobby DeMars and Benedictine College SIBC alum Sam Sebastian.

• The following was the initial prompt for the project: SIBC will help Blind Barrels expand the blind whiskey tasting experience into certain restaurant settings. When SIBC travels out to California more details of the project will be shared, but below is an idea of what the project will most likely be centered around.

  • The primary idea is to integrate a tasting experience powered by Blind Barrels into specific restaurants. This would include Blind Barrels tasting cards as well as a sort of gamification of the blind tasting process where a customer who desires to learn more about craft beverages can learn through the tasting itself. SIBC would research full-service restaurants in the greater Los Angeles area, prioritizing restaurants serving customers who are curious and are interested in expanding their knowledge about craft beverages, for example Gastro Pubs.

  • SIBC would also research expanding into different states and targeting specific markets that align with the markets from the previous question. This would include 1-, 3- and 5-year plans that would target specific states which are best suited for this model.

“As a graphic design Major at Benedictine College, my role on the Blind Barrels project was very design-focused. I had the opportunity to exercise my design skills and build a deck and some marketing materials that the client would be able to use in the future. I learned the importance of communication in business and how dedicated hard work pays off in the long run.” - Cecilia Chiappone

“My role on the Blind Barrels team allowed me to dive into the world of business analytics and use key concepts from courses I've taken in previous years. I also had the chance to develop new skills and was able to build an interactive model that visualized sales targets and areas of new potential business growth for our client. Working with the Blind Barrels team has taught me the importance of teamwork and problem solving and I am excited to put these lessons to use as I enter the workforce.” - Tai Rutledge