Matt Smith

Matt Smith is the founder of Wandering Soul Beer, a craft brewery in Beverly, Massachusetts honoring his stillborn daughter. Originally from New Jersey, he moved to Massachusetts in 2006 and took a homebrewing class in 2009. After corporate marketing and a stint at Clown Shoes Beer, he launched Wandering Soul in 2018 as a grief-inspired project.

In May 2017, Smith and his wife Abby learned their first child, Melody, had died in utero at 8.5 months. Smith developed a beer called Melody Maker, a New England pale ale that became the brand's flagship. What started as private healing resonated with others who had experienced pregnancy loss, turning a personal outlet into a brand built on vulnerability and empathy.

Smith has kept Wandering Soul tied to its emotional roots. Many beers carry names from his grief journey, and the brand donates proceeds to AllPaths Family Building, which supported Smith during his darkest period. He has described building a business around such personal material as difficult but meaningful, noting that drinkers regularly approach him to share their own stories.

Wandering Soul operates as a contract brewery. In October 2023, the brand signed a distribution deal with Homegrown Distribution for Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He also launched Hidden Path, a hop water brand standing on its own merits. After stepping back at the end of 2022 to recover from burnout, Smith returned with a clearer sense of how to sustain both the business and his well-be...