Focus sat down with April Pettus, owner of Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Company, to pick her brain about how the business came to be and what a day looks like in the kitchen and on the brewing floor.
Give us a brief summary of the type of work you do or service you provide.
We offer craft beer that has been brewed in-house on our state of the art equipment. But beyond our brews, you can bring the whole family! We also offer brick oven pizza, sub & panini sandwiches, specialty salads, nachos, pretzels, and much more.
How long have you been in business? Please share a brief history.
We will have been open four years this next January. The business derived from our desire to start a new business. We own a construction company and my father-in-law was ready to retire. We knew a great home brewer, Brad Carlsen, and approached him with our idea. From there, we planned, executed, and thankfully, have succeeded.
What makes your business unique?
GMBC offers a real laid back environment. Our kitchen is completely open. This gives customers a peek at their food being prepared, especially the brick oven pizzas. Customers can watch pizzas in our rotating pizza oven; It’s quite mesmerizing. You can view all the brewing equipment from the dining room. If you’re lucky, you may catch a time when the brewer is brewing. We have a pretty large pet-friendly patio as well!
What aspect of this business are you most passionate about?
We strive to bring consistently good food and beer to our customers. I think that is something we pride ourselves in along with giving the customer a good experience when they visit.
How do you stay involved in the community?
We try to stay active in the community as much as possible. We have held numerous events at the brewery for fundraisers put on by city officials. When invited to participate in city activities, we are always open to do them. Donations and sponsorships to local sports teams and organizations are a priority as well.
Tell us how your business differs from others in the same industry.
I don’t think we are too different from other breweries really. We, along with other breweries, pride ourselves in bringing new and unique craft beers to those ages 21 and up. Our brewer is always looking at the newest techniques and flavor options out there. It’s a real treat when you can have a domestic beer drinker give craft beer a try and in return have them love your product.
