Community Highlights: Meet Daniel Callender of Salty Turtle Beer Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Callender.

Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
While Daniel Callender and Dean Kelley are both former United States Marines, the pair didn’t actually meet during their time in the service. A fated neighborhood garage sale where Daniel was serving up his homebrew brought the two together. That was in 2016. Flash forward a few years, add North Carolina-native business partner Zack White, factor in many pints of Coastline Kölsch, and you’ve got what Salty Turtle Beer Company is today. In 2023 the group saw an opportunity in Raleigh in which they took on another taproom location.

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?
Currently, we are noticing our younger generation are no longer consuming alcohol as much as generations previous. We are also facing a saturated market where there are breweries on every corner. So we are ensuring we can provide an experience more than just a place that serves alcohol.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Salty Turtle Beer Company, a taproom, brewery and event space that serves Surf City and Raleigh, NC. Since conception we pledged to donate quarterly to our friends at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital located in Surf City. We are proud for our commitment to sustainability and trying to do what we can to prevent plastic use throughout our operations.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Just being open to communicate with other business owners whether they are in our field or just any business in general. Staying humble and open to critique is often crucial to grow as a business owner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://saltyturtlebeer.com
• Instagram: @saltyturtlebeer
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/saltyturtlebeer