Zac and Cari Caramonta, university Young Alumni of  the Year, balance their daughter Stevie Caramonta on top of their bar at Gnarly Barley Brewing Co. The couple hopes their daughter will follow in their footsteps and join the Brew Crew as well as possibly going to Southeastern University.
Regina Pergola/The Lion's Roar

An alumni couple’s business is a seamless combination of their two passions. Cari Caramonta was passionate about owning her own business and her husband Zac Caramonta discovered the joy of home brewing. Cari Caramonta was supportive of her husband’s hobby which later turned into their self-run company.

Young Alumni of the Year, Zac and Cari Caramonta, own the local brewery Gnarly Barley Brewing in downtown Hammond.

“Zac looked at me one day and said ‘I was put on this earth to brew beer,’” said Cari Caramonta. “He would go out in the driveway working in the sun brewing beer for hours and hours. You have to really love it to want to do that. I could tell how dedicated he was and the beer was actually really good.”

Cari Caramonta explained that she took their two passions and made it into something they both enjoy.

“I was like, ‘Well then, you totally have to do it,”’ said Cari Caramonta. “I can do the business aspect and help you do what you want to do and that would turn into what I want to do, and it turned into the perfect marriage, if you will, of jobs and of two different paths.”

Cari Caramonta started as a business management major but changed to family and consumer sciences with a concentration and minor in marketing. Zac Caramonta graduated with a degree in general studies after changing his major from psychology and sociology. 

Cari Caramonta always wanted to be an entrepreneur, but did not envision it being a brewery.

“I’ve always felt I wanted to own a business, but it was definitely never a brewery,” said Cari Caramonta. “That was never a thought in my mind. I didn’t even know anything about beer at the time nor did I like it because I didn’t know about good beer.”

Zac Caramonta changed Cari Caramonta’s view on beer by introducing her to craft beer.

“He opened my eyes to craft beer,” said Cari Caramonta. “Beer doesn’t have to be the same old Coors Lite or Bud when you think of beer.” 

Cari’s experience with business in the beginning of her university years still helps with Gnarly Barley.

“I just wanted to have my own little store, and after a few courses in accounting, I was like math is not for me,” said Cari Caramonta. “But it’s funny because it’s almost come full circle because now I almost wish that I had more accounting classes because that is one of the things I handle at Gnarly Barley. I knew I liked business, but I still didn’t know what my future was going to bring.”

Past hobbies contributed to future skills that were key in the expansion of the Caramonta’s company.

“He was a skateboarder first and foremost,” said Cari Caramonta. “That was a huge passion of his before brewing came about and he got into building his own ramps. That was definitely his hobby.”

The tinker ability, that started with building skating ramps, helped Zac Caramonta with making equipment in the future.

“Home brewing hobby is really neat because you’re making beer, but most of the people that get into that hobby are tinkerers and making little gadgets,” said Zac Caramonta. “I’ve always been into that since I was a little kid. I started welding and making my own tanks and equipment with building skateboard ramps as a background in fabrication. It helped me to really easily transition to making brewing equipment.”

That is still part of working in the brewery. Even running the business hasn’t changed the basic job responsibilities.

“I run the brewery but I’m also head tinker,” said Zac Caramonta. “I love brewing the beer, I like drinking the beer and making and maintaining the equipment. It’s a passion in many different ways for me.” 

Cari and Zac transitioned from simply brewing at home for family and friends to marketing themselves at brew festivals. The first festival they participated in was New Orleans on Tap, a nonprofit festival that allowed home brewers to serve beer without selling. Cari Caramonta said that it allowed them to get an honest opinion on the beer from non-relatives and friends. This festival opened new opportunities for the couple. 

“The days following that festival, I got multiple calls from beer distributers in the state,” said Zac Caramonta. “I was like, ‘These people want to sell our beer.”’

It took from 2011 to 2014 for their company to expand from its original home brewing to start manufacturing beer. 

“It was perfect because if it was up to me we would have opened too soon and we wouldn’t have had it figured out. Then Zac was like ‘Lets get this figured out and do it the right way,’” said Cari Caramonta. “We opened when we needed to open because we were on opposite sides of the spectrum. It was American Craft Beer week when we opened. We opened at Red White & Brew where we discovered craft beer together.”

As they opened and grew, the Caramonta’s company expanded past their expectations.

“We started as a much smaller project,” said Zac Caramonta. “We didn’t think we were going to be as big as we are. It kind of snowballed.”

Zac and Cari Caramonta will be honored as the university’s Young Alumni of the Year on Oct. 22, at the Homecoming game. 

“I think when we go to the game and the parade, it will set in how cool it is,” said Zac Caramonta. “A lot of people I’ve never seen before are congratulating us. I was walking downtown and three people on one block walked up and shook my hand.”

The couple described Hammond as being supportive to their brewery. 

“We can see the community behind us,” said Cari Caramonta. “We’re Hammond’s beer and we are proud of it.”

Zac and Cari Caramonta have hopes that their daughter will follow their footsteps.

“Maybe one day Stevie will join the brew crew and go to Southeastern too,” said Cari Caramonta.