PITTSTON — Brittany Grasso-Salvatori and Manny Salvatori would open their own brewery under two conditions: that it was located in their home state of Pennsylvania and that it was for a good cause.
Thus, Blind Cat Beer Company, named after their blind cats, Cricket and Weezy, was born.
“It took a long time to get to this point, but it feels like it was worth it for how hard it was, you know?” Salvatori said. “Just from everyone’s reactions so far that’s come in.”
Located at 13 Kennedy St. in Pittston, just off of the main drag, Blind Cat Beer Company officially opened at the end of November. The brewery and taproom sells a variety of high quality craft beer made mostly from locally sourced ingredients.
”I would say that 90% of our grain that we use is Pennsylvania grain,” said Salvatori.
Along with focusing on sustainability — all of the furniture is upcycled — and supporting local agriculture, they hope to also draw attention to disabled shelter animals up for adoption, looking for their forever homes.
“It’s hard to find people to adopt those cats and special needs animals in general,” Salvatori said. “We just want to make sure that people know it’s an option and it’s not as difficult as it seems.”
In addition to donating $1 from every pint sold of their flagship beer, Cricket Pilsner, to a different animal shelter every quarter, Blind Cat Beer Company also plans to partner with shelters in the area for different events.
This past Saturday, the brewery hosted an adoption event for a blind cat in partnership with Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge.
“A big part of our mission is just supporting the local rescues because they need,” Grasso-Salvatori said.
Although getting the place up and running was a long process, Grasso-Salvatori said they both felt prepared for it because of their combined experience.
Salvatori began brewing professionally in 2016 and worked at the Bronx Brewery in New York City. The pair eventually moved back to the area to be closer to family and friends and to find a spot to out roots down.
For her part, Grasso-Salvatori owned and operated Little Wild Refinery in downtown Scranton before selling the business to focus on Blind Cat Beer Company.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t surprises, though.
“Just the day before, like, the iPad didn’t fit the square stand,” Grasso-Salvatori laughed. “So, we had to buy a new iPad.”
Aside from “really good beer” the owners said that the brewery offers a cozy and inviting atmosphere, along with great conversation.
They don’t play overly loud music or plan to have bands perform live. Instead, they want to focus on encouraging their customers to interact with each other.
“We really want to try to build a community here,” said Grasso-Salvatori. “Not just a beer community, but a stronger community where people are more connected.”
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