“Good farmers, who take seriously their duties as stewards of Creation and of their land’s inheritors, contribute to the welfare of society in more ways than society usually acknowledges, or even knows. These farmers produce valuable goods, of course; but they also conserve soil, they conserve water, they conserve wildlife, they conserve open space, they conserve scenery.” – Wendell Berry

I first met my friend and Atascadero Brewing Company business partner Josh Fugette in Austin, TX in spring of 2009. Josh was studying biology at Texas State and I was working for a Conservation nonprofit in New England. Fueled by the passions of community and adventure, I was traveling to Texas to present internship opportunities for the National Park Service. I set out to convince Texas college students they could change the world one outdoor internship opportunity at a time.

Josh called me after he found my number posted for an internship. We met over lunch in what could be considered one of Austin’s “bad” neighborhoods, but oh, the local food at the Peruvian restaurant was amazing. Our conversation about community and growing what we eat locally was even better. Josh was a volunteer at an Austin-based organic farm that put these concepts into practice and I saw first hand by volunteering with him on a pleasant Austin spring day. With our own hands, we planted what Austin residents would eat. We sowed actual seeds with sustainability in mind. Little did we know that six years later, we would be putting these concepts into practice together with Atascadero Brewing Company.

In September of 2015, we plan to begin production in Atascadero. Our beer will be brewed with sustainability, quality, and community in mind.

Connecting to the Community of Local Farmers and Businesses

There is nothing better than popping a fresh raspberry in your mouth grown with a farmer’s respect and care, sipping a cup of coffee with beans freshly roasted that morning and sourced with quality in mind, the taste of oysters pulled out of Morro Bay that have that perfect salinity balance, or locally malted grain that truly brings out the terroir of the Central Coast from a beer. At Atascadero Brewing Company, Josh and I plan to connect with as many farmers and businesses along the Central Coast that hold values of quality over all. We plan to build partnerships to produce the very best locally produced and sustainable beer possible. Imagine the possibilities with a Central Coast Raspberry Saison, an Atascadero Coffee Porter, or a Morro Bay Oyster Stout. These connections can be endless and the possibilities excite the palate.

Building Community and Promoting Local Business

As Josh and I talked about growing Atascadero Brewing Company, we realized that we are only part of our success. Sure, we know that we can brew world-class beer that many will enjoy, but we want to do it with sustainability in mind and quality can be a big part of that. To do so, we need the help of our neighbors and partners. We don’t just want to brew quality local beer sustainably, but we want to be the marketing outlet for the community and for our partners to market our world-class beer as well. We’ll co-brand our quality products together. As we grow so do our partners. As our partners grow, we grow.

A New Adventure

As we embark on this adventure, these are concepts that will drive our motivation. We not only want to make great beer, but we want to help create a better community. We have acknowledged the value that businesses and farmers help us to achieve this.