We’ve all heard the adage of “location, location, location.” The idea that when it comes to real estate, it’s about where you are—something that can be doubly important for a business.
When Marie and Jamie Fox set out to find the spot for their brewery, it was not easy. The effort, which became a journey, took them all over Boulder, Colorado to look at practically any space that may have been usable for brewing. It eventually led them to sign a lease in 2016 on a 20,000 square foot facility in the city’s Gunbarrel neighborhood, giving way to Gunbarrel Brewing.
I know, you probably didn’t expect the start of this podcast to talk about beer industry house hunting, but when I first met the Foxes this fall, it was hard to not be amazed at the size and scope of the the home they had found. And, at a time when success in beer can feel in flux all the time, the methodical planning they displayed feels like the kind of necessary steps companies need for current and future planning. When you open a brewery in Colorado, surrounded by some of the fiercest competition and discernable drinkers in the country, you have to be picky and smart about what you do.
So while you’ll hear about the Gunbarrel lineup and how canning has changed things for the brewery, there’s also talk about what it takes and what it means when you really do find out there’s no place like home. It’s a side of the beer business that isn’t sexy, but massively important.
This is Marie and Jamie Fox of Gunbarrel Brewing. Listen in.