Forbidden Root
Forbidden Root is a privately held craft brewery and brewpub chain operating three locations across Chicago and Columbus, OH, specializing in botanical beers brewed with herbs, flowers, roots, and fruits rather than conventional hops.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Forbidden Root does
Forbidden Root is a privately held craft brewery and brewpub operator founded in 2014 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, organized as a Maryland Benefit LLC. The company self-positions as "Chicago's First Botanical Brewery & Restaurant" and operates three full-service brewpub locations: the original Chicago West Town flagship at 1746 W Chicago Ave, the Cultivate by Forbidden Root concept in Chicago Ravenswood (4710 N Ravenswood Ave), and a Columbus, Ohio location at Easton Town Center (4080 Worth Ave). The core technical differentiation is a proprietary brewing approach that incorporates botanicals — herbs, flowers, roots, and fruits including orris (iris) root, chamomile, jasmine, rose, sweet osmanthus, and sour orange — to create flavor profiles that hops alone cannot achieve. The product portfolio spans year-round beers (Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen, Peach Wit) and seasonal or rotating releases (Panda Party Black Lager, Hoodie Weather Vienna-Style Lager Ale, Summer Symphony Fruited Golden Ale, Purple Pils Pilsner, Radio Swan Rye IPA, Ghost Tropic and Snoochie Boochies Double IPAs).
Forbidden Root firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forbidden Root
- Legal name
- Forbidden Root Benefit LLC
- Website
- http://forbiddenroot.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Forbidden Root is a privately held craft brewery and brewpub chain operating three locations across Chicago and Columbus, OH, specializing in botanical beers brewed with herbs, flowers, roots, and fruits rather than conventional hops.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forbidden Root industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Craft Brewery & Brewpub Restaurant
- NAICS
- Breweries (312120), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC), Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG)
Keywords
Where Forbidden Root is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Forbidden Root business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- On-Premise Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue generated from restaurant dining at three locations, including draft beer, bottled/canned beer, cocktails, wine, and full food menus. Customers can order through OpenTable reservations or walk-in.
- Takeout & Delivery: Online ordering through Upserve platform with takeout and delivery options via DoorDash and Grubhub for food and canned beer.
- Private Events: Private party bookings at all locations, including corporate events, rehearsal dinners, and celebrations with dedicated event spaces.
- Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including thermoses, t-shirts, trucker hats, hoodies, and beanies through the website.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Draft Beer |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beer Flights |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Food Menu Items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Happy Hour Specials |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Canned Beer 4-Packs |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Forbidden Root product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forbidden Root brews and serves botanical craft beers — beers brewed with herbs, flowers, roots, and fruits — across three brewpub restaurant locations in Chicago and Columbus, OH. The company also operates full restaurant kitchens, a cocktail/spirits program, and offers canned beer and merchandise via its taprooms, online ordering, and third-party delivery.
Product overview
Forbidden Root is Chicago's First Botanic Brewery & Restaurant, operating three locations in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio. The company specializes in crafting botanical beers that incorporate botanicals, herbs, flowers, and fruits beyond traditional hops. Their product portfolio includes year-round core beers (Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen, Peach Wit) and seasonal/rotating offerings (Panda Party, Hoodie Weather, Summer Symphony, Purple Pils, Radio Swan, Ghost Tropic, Snoochie Boochies). Each location features in-house brewing operations paired with full-service restaurants serving American cuisine.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Cultivate by Forbidden Root: A Ravenswood Chicago restaurant and brewery location operated by Forbidden Root.
Products and services
- Panda Party A botanical craft beer produced and served by Forbidden Root at its brewpub locations.
- Hoodie Weather A botanical craft beer brewed and sold by Forbidden Root.
- Summer Symphony A botanical craft beer offered by Forbidden Root at its brewpubs.
- Purple Pils A botanical pilsner produced by Forbidden Root.
- Radio Swan A botanical craft beer brewed and served by Forbidden Root.
- Ghost Tropic A botanical craft beer in Forbidden Root's portfolio.
- Snoochie Boochies A botanical craft beer offered by Forbidden Root.
- Strawberry Basil Hefeweizen A strawberry- and basil-infused hefeweizen brewed by Forbidden Root.
- Peach Wit A peach-infused witbier brewed by Forbidden Root.
- Brewpub dining and taproom experience Full-service restaurant and taproom experience at Forbidden Root's three brewpub locations, offering food, draft beer, cocktails, and merchandise to walk-in guests.
Companies that use Forbidden Root
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Forbidden Root technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature2 records
Forbidden Root partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Derive BrewingcoreCollaboration partner on Well Positioned beer, which won 2 medals at FOBAB. Also collaborated on All of the Positions beer (Amburana Aged Brett Saison).
- G-Five BrewingminorCollaboration on Shared Horizon NZ-Style IPA.
- St. Errant BrewingminorCollaboration on Branching Out extra pale ale.
- Dankhouse BrewingminorCollaboration on Well Positioned and other beers.
- Parlor PizzaminorCollaboration on Sláinte Red Ale, inspired by Irish Red Ales with sweet orange peel and Ukrainian wildflower honey.
- Combustion BrewingminorCollaboration on Sounds Familiar Mexican Amber Lager.
- Pivovarský důmminorCollaboration on Sumava Czech Pale Lager, inspired by a trip to Prague.
- Counterbalance & GemutminorCollaboration on Fizzy Bitty English Pub Ale using all English malt, hops, and heritage yeast.
- Finn's ManorminorCollaboration on Post Fest Dry Hopped Lager at Columbus location.
- OpenTablecoreReservation platform integration across all three locations for table reservations.
- DoorDashcoreFood and canned beer delivery partnership for Columbus location and general delivery.
- GrubhubcoreFood delivery partnership for Chicago Cultivate location.
- Hill Farmstead BreweryminorGuest draft at Chicago West Town location - Society & Solitude Imperial IPA.
- Wandering MonstersminorGuest draft at Chicago West Town location - Monster Chili Cheese Coney Imperial Hazy IPA.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Forbidden Root competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forbidden Root social profiles
Digital presenceForbidden Root financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forbidden Root leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Forbidden Root funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forbidden Root M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forbidden Root
What does Forbidden Root do?
Forbidden Root brews and serves botanical craft beers — beers brewed with herbs, flowers, roots, and fruits — across three brewpub restaurant locations in Chicago and Columbus, OH. The company also operates full restaurant kitchens, a cocktail/spirits program, and offers canned beer and merchandise via its taprooms, online ordering, and third-party delivery.
Is Forbidden Root a public or private company?
Forbidden Root is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forbidden Root founded?
Forbidden Root was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Forbidden Root based?
Forbidden Root is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forbidden Root make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. On-Premise Food & Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are takeout & Delivery, private Events and merchandise.
Does Forbidden Root have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forbidden Root.
What industry is Forbidden Root in?
Forbidden Root's product category is Craft Brewery & Brewpub Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAA, Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service), with a secondary code of THAFALAC, Microbreweries & Craft Breweries. Its NAICS code is 312120 and its SIC code is 2082.