Meet David Rivers – Founder of BehindtheBar.com

BehindTheBar.com – Proper Tools for Professional Bartenders.

Bartenders and at-home mixing enthusiasts now have their very own one-stop shopping destination for bar tools and equipment with BehindTheBar.com. The site was founded by online visionary David Rivers, who successfully launched KegWorks.com nearly twenty years ago, and offers every product a bartender could ever need. Check out what Rivers had to say about his popular websites.

Talk to us about BehindTheBar.com.

We started Behind The Bar because our cocktail supplies business was growing so rapidly. Having all those items on the KegWorks site sometimes was challenging to market, so we separated out the beer related stuff and the cocktail-related stuff. The response has been great.

Talk to us more about your background in the spirits industry?

I started out in beverage retail in Syracuse, New York, after college, around 1984. The place I worked had a huge beer and soda business. They sold a massive amount of kegs every week. After that I sold beer for 10 years at a distributorship in Buffalo, then spent two years as the upstate New York sales manager for Pete’s Brewing Company (Pete’s Wicked Ale). At that time, Pete’s was the number two craft brewer in the United States. KegWorks was started just after that.

Tell us a bit about KegWorks.com.

KegWorks started as a website in 1998. I started it because I felt that the internet was going to be a game-changer and I somehow wanted in on it. Ecommerce sites were in their infancy back then. I chose draft beer equipment because beer had been my background, and I knew that people always had a hard time finding these items.

What was your inspiration to create KegWorks.com and BehindTheBar.com?

To help people find things that they would normally have a hard time finding. That’s where the internet comes in.

What are some of your favorite products sold on your websites?

We developed a Glass Soda Siphon that is reminiscent of the old-time soda siphons. It came out great and the first batch sold out much quicker than expected. Also, our Copper Champagne & Wine Bowl. That is something we developed in house and it turned out beautifully.

What would you like bartenders to know about BehindTheBar.com?

We are a one-stop shopping source for everything from bar tools to cocktail bitters and syrups.

Visit BehindtheBar.com and KegWorks.com.