Meet Michael Koral of Seven Barrels

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Koral.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to Colorado in August of 2014 from New York City. I grew up and attended College in New York so this was the first time I had ever lived outside the state but I am a huge outdoorsman so I knew Denver was right for me. Since about the 8th grade I have wanted to become a Phys Ed teacher so although it was a steep pay cut from my teaching job in NY I knew moving to Colorado to share the knowledge and love of healthy living that I have with students was a perfect fit.

I experienced a ton of amazing memories over the first 4 years but decided I needed to figure out another option if teaching was not going to fit my lifestyle long-term. After a lot of discussion with my family, I decided to join very good family friends of mine in their Olive Oil and Balsamic Label “Seven Barrels”. I went in full steam ahead with no real idea of what I was doing and relied on some consultation from the Label owners to get me off the ground.

It wasn’t the smoothest start as my first shipment of inventory got lost in transit and I had to do several shows with a lot of missing products. Although very frustrating, it was a quick lesson that in running a business you need help from everyone. I just kept using these experiences to learn more about how to keep my business on the right path.

We had our first breakthrough moment at the Italian Festival at Belmar in September of 2018. I again was extremely inexperienced and still have not learned what a great day was in this business. Well, that day was above and eye-opening. I asked a friend to come to help me that day and had them show up at noon. By 10:30 I was beyond overwhelmed as my booth was surrounded by customers. We settled ourselves and learned as we went.

After that weekend I knew this could be something but was still unsure of what. Since that moment I have been able to learn about how to grow this business to above and beyond levels. In the first year, I had one 10×10 storage unit and rented a u-haul van for every event. Today I have one 10×20 unit, one 10×15 unit, and own a company van. Sometimes I stand there and wonder how this happened.

In 2019 I hired some people to help me on a more regular basis which created an amazing opportunity for us to do multiple events in one weekend and bring the business to an even greater level. In 2021 we had over 10 weekends with multiple events which is something I never thought would be possible. I have learned that the two biggest aspects of growing a business are hard work and support. When people are behind you it motivates you to work harder and my family, friends, and employees have been unbelievable with this.

I am getting married on October 15 and my soon-to-be wife Kerri is there at every turn. I even occasionally have to tell her to stay home as she needs to rest and enjoy her weekend. I also see that my friends and family now believe in my business which motivates me to keep it going. If others can believe in what I am doing then it gives me more purpose to keep pushing forward. Now to get back to my passion for teaching.

This business has allowed me to renew my love for teaching because I can just go in and worry about helping students become great people. My school, Maple Grove Elementary, has an amazing community with students and staff that understand and support why I have brought this business into my life. Some of my favorite things about being an entrepreneur are being able to discuss with students the amount of effort it takes and the different experiences I have had just to get something afloat and see them understand it.

Last year the kindergarten teachers asked me to come to talk about starting a business in their class as the kindergartners do a project where they make their businesses. It was moments like that, that tell me I am doing the right thing by continuing my teaching career. So although there are several weeks where I may work 70+ Hours, I can see that I am making a difference in people’s lives and providing a phenomenal product in the process.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This question makes me chuckle as I cannot imagine anyone who has started a business saying it has been a smooth road. There are so many external factors that it is almost impossible for every single thing to work in your favor. As I aforementioned before our first event, I had a bump of my inventory getting lost. Since I was so new I had no idea what to feel about this as it seemed that this did not happen often but definitely could happen.

After having multiple events without 50% of my inventory I was able to receive it and get the ship on the right path. Since then I have experienced transporting issues a few more times with broken inventory or pallets of the product getting lost. Another bump in the past was transportation. I have a lot of materials to bring to events and need a lot of space which required me to rent cargo vans weekly.

There were many times when the company would change my location pick up or not leave the key for me which would lead to many customer service calls. I resolved this issue by purchasing a minivan which has been an absolute game changer as we can now explore new areas like the Western Slope of Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico without having to worry about a van rental.

Currently, my biggest hurdle is where to find employees. I have one great employee but since Facebook has taken down its job board it has been increasingly difficult to find part-time workers. I have been extremely lucky with who I have hired as they have been extremely dedicated and honest which are the two things I look for most.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Seven Barrels of Colorado is a small business run by a Colorado teacher. I believe in customer service more than anything as it seems that this quality has diminished in our society. The customer is spending their hard-earned money with me and they deserve to be treated with maximum service and respect. We pride ourselves on trying “The best balsamic you will ever have”.

I often get laughed at when I say this to customers but they realize they have to at least give it a try. When they come to our booth they’re not only getting the best balsamic but the best balsamic experience. We take our 25-year Italian Imported Barrel Aged Balsamics and pair them with our company’s personal Extra Virgin Olive Oil Recipe. The purity of olive oil, in today’s world, can be very much in question so it is our goal to eliminate all questions about anything but 100% Napa-produced olive oil.

We create these amazing pairings and have often been called “Mixologists”, which opens up our customer’s minds to enhancing their culinary experiences. Some of the fan favorites are the White Balsamic with Sweet Basil Olive Oil A.K.A the #1 for Salads, Sriracha Mango Balsamic with Lime Olive Oil A.K.A the fish taco, or the Bourbon Balsamic with Garlic Olive Oil A.K.A the steak topper.

Our goal is to open our customers up to new flavors that they can bring home to their families and have a new and exciting look on their food. As aforementioned I am most proud of our customer service. I try to go above and beyond for our customers whether it is free shipping for an out-of-town customer, hand delivering an item so they can have it on time for a party they are hosting, and most importantly returning calls and emails promptly.

Our customers deserve the best experience possible as this is what we promoted with the best balsamic you will ever have. It is not just about the balsamic but the experience. We are at our busiest during the holidays as our products make amazing gifts. We have two different types of gift boxes that will brighten up any holiday.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
This is an interesting question as I am always taking risks in my personal life whether it be on a bike or skis but I feel like I have a very realistic perspective of what I am capable of and what will make me happy. Sometimes on the mountain bike trails, I look at something and know that the thrill of accomplishment will not meet the feeling of the opposite end so I avoid those.

In this business, I would say I haven’t taken massive risks but one of our biggest was the Cherry Creek Holiday Market last year. It was a 37 straight day show that had a large entry fee and a lot of hours. As it ran during the week I had to rely on my employees who did a phenomenal job and left me knowing that the business was in good hands.

I also had to commit to a large amount of inventory with this event which I had never done before so seeing all of the upfront cost felt like a big risk. Finally, the last risk of this event was the weather. Luckily in Colorado, we have adventurous shoppers who will come explore the market in all elements but we happened to get extremely lucky with a very mild fall which was a massive x-factor for us.

It turned out to be a fantastic event that I hope to be a part of again someday. For this year we are looking at just 2 weeks as it would be near impossible to run the event with my teaching and one person full time. I am hoping to make a full return in 2023 though.

Pricing:

• $18 for one Small Bottle
• $35 for one Large Bottle
• $70 for 4 Small Bottles
• $120 for 4 Large Bottles
• $75 For a Gift Box

Contact Info:

• Website: 7barrels.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/7bcolorado/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/7bcolorado/