The Exchange Bellflower — an event and workspace for creatives and small businesses in LA and SoCal — will acquire Driven Beer Company in March 2023, according to Co-Founder Kristofer Dangcil.
Longtime friends Kristofer Dangcil and David Chaney conceived the project in 2012 after “a weekend of wobbly wandering” in San Diego — a main player in Cali’s beer scene.
On the heels of the trip, Dangcil and Chaney quickly acquired a homebrew kit and got to work, initially conjuring what they consider “the worst beer of all time.”
However, after ten years of countless unpalatable attempts and persistent practice, the duo eventually got it right, landing themselves 6 industry-recognized awards.
Now, Dangcil and Chaney are souping up the space at 17434 Bellflower Blvd, Suite 100 A-3 to serve suds born of adventure, entrepreneurship, and passion.
A GoFundMe campaign to raise $100,000 for the project depicts renderings for Driven and explains the duo’s vision for the 20,000-square-foot former JCPenny.
“Once we are up and running, other like-minded creators, including food, drink, and craft-makers, will fill out the remainder of the [open space] until we have a rich and diverse daily hotspot for locals and tourists alike.”
Dangcil and Chaney go on to explain, “As huge fans of car culture, Driven will also populate the space with our favorite cars, builds from our personal garages, and showcase guest rides from our friends and the surrounding community.”
What’s more, donors to their campaign will be gifted an array of merch and perks, including one free pint every visit for life and a commissioned, non-functioning F1 display car with the donor’s name inscribed to be displayed in the brewery. It’s worth mentioning, the free beer for life and F1 rewards are reserved for those who donate $2,000-$100,000.
As of November 9, the brewery’s Instagram shows a photo of an empty yet inviting warehouse-style outpost captioned “We’ve got BIG plans for this space…”
A What Now Los Angeles interview with the founders is forthcoming.
