For César Marrón, Sketchbook Brewing, it’s never just been about beer; it’s been about people. After ten years of growing from a two-person passion project into an award-winning community staple, Marrón told Brewer that he believes deeply that the success of small-town breweries hinges not only on quality brews, but on authentic, lasting connections with the people and places around them.
In 2024, Sketchbook Brewing was named the Skokie (Illinois) Business of the Year, an honor that Marrón didn’t seek out but was humbled to receive.
“There’s a whole consortium of people that picks the business they want to recognize. Then it goes to public voting. I got congratulated just walking down the street,” he said. “It was a big deal. People are proud of what’s theirs, and they’re proud to say we’re part of their town.”
But this kind of civic recognition doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a reflection of a decade of organic, boots-on-the-ground growth rooted in community-first thinking. Marrón and his wife, Amy, accepted the award at Village Hall, marking a milestone for a business that began in Evanston in 2014 with no employees, no taproom, and just a dream of brewing something meaningful.
Sketchbook operates in what Marrón calls an “urban-suburban” setting on the north shore of Chicagoland: a space that isn’t quite the bustling downtown, but also far from rural isolation. This duality offers advantages to breweries that understand how to navigate both sides of the coin.
“People here still want to claim things as their own,” Marrón said. “If we put out a shirt that says ‘Skokie’ or ‘Evanston,’ it sells way faster than one that just says Sketchbook.
“There’s local pride. That’s something any small-town brewery can tap into.”
For others, it means leveraging your hyper-local branding and engaging directly with residents. Not just as customers, but as neighbors.
Beyond good beer and good neighbors, Sketchbook has made sustainability a central pillar of its operation. In addition to the Skokie Business of the Year award, Sketchbook was the first brewery to earn the Illinois Green Business Certification, showcasing a commitment to environmentally responsible practices. That distinction came with help from a Cook County sustainability grant called BRIGHT and partnerships with groups like CDAC, focused on energy efficiency.
“Sustainability is a passion of mine,” Marrón said. “We’re small enough to be nimble, and once we had the team and time, we just plowed through the process.”
The certification process laid the groundwork for another goal: becoming a certified B Corp, a process Marrón acknowledges is intensive, but one he sees as a natural next step.
Another major lesson from Sketchbook’s decade-long growth is the importance of collaboration, not competition. From supporting local restaurants to housing a mobile coffee trailer for Soul Good Coffee during the winter, Sketchbook has continuously opened its doors to like-minded businesses. That partnership, Marrón noted, was an easy “yes” before he even heard the full proposal.
“It’s about showing we’re not here to steal customers, but to make the area more interesting for visitors and more welcoming for locals,” he said. That collaboration brought new foot traffic, introduced new customers to Sketchbook, and strengthened community ties.
Marrón remembers well how other breweries supported him in Sketchbook’s early days.
“People like Jim from Revolution or the guys at Half Acre, they helped us without hesitation,” he said. “Now, we get to do that for others. Someone posts on a brewers’ forum asking for malt? We’ve got it. I remember being that guy.”
Sketchbook’s journey wasn’t built on a massive investment or a rapid launch; it grew out of necessity. Marrón and co-founder Shawn Decker did it all in the beginning: brewing, packaging, deliveries, and even handling invoices. But as the business matured, they brought in a team that allowed Marrón to focus on broader goals, from sustainability to community partnerships.
READ MORE: Despite Urban Setting, Sketchbook Builds on Sustainability Goals
“It’s hard when you first start. You’re just trying to get the beer out the door,” Marrón said. “But once we had a solid team in place, I could actually sit down and think: ‘What’s going to make this better. Not just for us, but for the people we serve?’”
Five takeaways from Sketchbook’s community involvement:
- Engage authentically with your community. Don’t just be in town, be of it.
- Partner with local businesses to build shared success, not rivalries.
- Invest in sustainable practices early, even small steps like diverting spent grain can have a long-term impact and support local farming efforts.
- Grow at your own pace, but keep looking ahead. When the time is right, prioritize certifications or recognitions that align with your values.
- Be approachable to your peers. Collaboration, even among competitors, strengthens the entire brewing community.
As Marrón puts it, “We started out by necessity. Now we’re intentional. And that intention is what’s making our impact stronger.”
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