Small businesses usually have, at best, a minor impact on their hometown. They employ a few people, they pay taxes, and they certainly add a convenience factor, but as individual entities, they’re rarely big revenue drivers.

Fonta Flora Brewery in Morganton, North Carolina, is one of the exceptions. Founded four years ago, the beer maker has just three full-time employees but has built such a strong reputation in the beer world that Morganton (located about an hour east of Asheville) has become a destination for beer tourists, bringing thousands of visitors to the town of 17,000 people each year.

Read more at CNBC: Fonta Flora craft brewery surges to national fame