Exploring Life & Business with Nicco Denton of SHAMS BREWING LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicco Denton.

Hi Nicco , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
SHAMS Gold beer was inspired by a real piece of history. Before the Islamic Revolution, there was an original SHAMS beer in Iran—it was part of everyday social life, remembered today through stories, photographs, and memories passed down across generations. After the revolution, that world changed abruptly, and millions of Iranians were forced to leave and rebuild their lives elsewhere, particularly in the United States.
For me, that history is deeply personal. My father became a refugee after leaving Iran, and growing up I was shaped by the stories he shared—of family gatherings, friendships, and even something as simple as sitting together and drinking SHAMS beer. Those stories stayed with me, shaping my understanding of what was lost, and how powerful small reminders of home can be when you’re starting over somewhere new.
SHAMS Gold beer was born from that idea. While many cultures are represented within the American beer market through brands that reflect their heritage and identity, Iranians have largely been absent. The goal became to revive the spirit of the original SHAMS—reintroducing it as a nostalgic yet modern brand for the Iranian diaspora, and for younger generations seeking a tangible connection to a past they never experienced firsthand.
In the early stages, this has been driven more by vision than resources. It’s not just about developing a beverage—it’s about rebuilding something that was erased. Every detail, from concept to design, has been approached with intention, balancing respect for the past with relevance for today.
Today, SHAMS represents remembrance and resilience. It’s a tribute to the good old days, but also a contemporary expression of culture, pride, and community. What began as something deeply personal has started to resonate more broadly—with those who miss a piece of home, and with anyone who believes that brands can carry real meaning. This is only the beginning, but the mission has remained the same from day one.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the earliest challenges was deciding how visibly Iranian the brand should be. Using Farsi on a beer label raised immediate questions. Many people told us it would be confusing, that most Americans had never heard of a Persian beer, and that we should remove the Farsi altogether to make the brand more “approachable.” We had to decide whether to dilute the identity for broader acceptance or stay true to what SHAMS represents. We chose to stay authentic, even knowing it might slow adoption.
Another major challenge was introducing a brand category that people weren’t expecting. Craft beer is already a highly saturated market, and launching a beer tied to Iranian culture meant we often had to educate first before we could even sell. We weren’t just asking people to try a new beer — we were asking them to understand a story and a piece of history.
Like many early-stage brands, we also faced the reality of building without a large marketing budget. That meant relying heavily on word of mouth, community support, and organic growth rather than big campaigns. Every decision had to be intentional, and mistakes were costly because there wasn’t much room to absorb them.
Balancing all of this while developing a quality product was challenging, but those obstacles ultimately shaped SHAMS into what it is today. Staying committed to cultural authenticity in a crowded, competitive space hasn’t been easy, but it’s also what makes the brand meaningful. The challenges forced us to be patient, focused, and clear about who SHAMS is for — and why it exists.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
SHAMS Gold beer is a culturally inspired beer brand built around nostalgia, identity, and representation. While its roots are grounded in history, today SHAMS focuses on creating a modern, approachable beer brand with cultural integrity at its core.
We’re building a beer brand with meaning. SHAMS reimagines a familiar, everyday product with cultural depth—without ever making it feel exclusive. In a saturated craft beer market, we’re known for leading with authenticity rather than trends, and for refusing to water down identity in order to fit in.
What sets SHAMS apart is that it represents a community that previously had little to no presence in the American beer space. Most countries and cultures have beer brands that reflect their heritage. Iranians didn’t. SHAMS exists to fill that gap — to give the diaspora something they can recognize as their own, while remaining open and welcoming to anyone encountering the brand for the first time. From the name to the use of Farsi on the label, SHAMS is unapologetically rooted in Iranian culture.
Our offerings include a lineup of approachable, well crafted styles — including a Pilsner, IPAs, and a Lager. We intentionally focused on familiar, drinkable beers so the story could lead, with the product acting as a bridge rather than a barrier. In addition to building the brand, we operate through SHAMS Distribution, which allows us to be hands on with how the beer is introduced to retailers, partners, and communities, and to protect the integrity of the brand as it grows.
Brand wise, what we’re most proud of is staying true to that vision despite pressure to dilute it. Early on, we were encouraged to remove the Farsi, downplay the cultural elements, or make the brand feel safer and more generic. We chose integrity instead. Every detail — from design to messaging — was built intentionally, balancing respect for the past with relevance for today’s audience.
Ultimately, what we want readers to know is that SHAMS Gold beer is more than a beverage. It’s a reminder of home for some, a bridge to history for others, and a meaningful brand in a space that rarely makes room for stories like ours. SHAMS stands for memory, resilience, and pride — and for proving there’s room in the American beer market for brands that stand for something real.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love most about Los Angeles is the diversity — of people, cultures, food, and ideas. You can grab world class Persian food, work on something creative, and be at the beach or in the hills all in the same day. If there’s any city where building a culturally specific beer brand doesn’t feel out of place, it’s LA.
What I like least is the way distance and time quietly stop meaning anything here. For example, distributing SHAMS beer at Total Wine in the Valley and then immediately heading into rush hour traffic to Azizam in Silver Lake sounds reasonable on paper — and then suddenly you’re aging a full year on the 101. Traffic has a way of turning simple plans into endurance tests, and LA also has a funny habit of making plans that never quite materialize. You learn to measure distance in podcasts instead of miles — and to never trust anyone who says, “It’s a quick drive.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shamsgoldusa.com
• Instagram: shamsgoldusa