This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the US.
Brewer Magazine will share business and personal insights from Brewmasters, Head Brewers, Brewing Managers, Sales Directors, QCQA Managers and others each weekend to help you get to know each other better in the industry and learn more to better develop your own brand.
Jon Eager, R&D Brewer/Quality Technician, Indeed Brewing — Minneapolis
BREWER: Why did you enter the craft beer industry and what makes you love being a part of it and staying in it?
EAGER: I wanted to follow a passion professionally. Before I got into homebrewing I was a musician flipping pizzas and slinging coffee, and even had a desperate stint in the banking industry to secure health and dental benefits. There’s nothing like professional misery to motivate you to figure out what you want to do with your life. I stay in this industry for the opportunities to flex my creative muscles and to make ideas that originate in my brain a tangible product that affects yours.
BREWER: What do you feel have been new challenges in your position that have helped push you and make you better at your job?
EAGER: Balancing the fast pace of product conception and release with proper research and trials. It often puts you in a position to do some real creative problem-solving. Things moved fast in the industry five years ago, and it’s even faster these days. People seem to always be thirsty for the next thing; it keeps me on my toes.
BREWER: How has the definition of growth for your company evolved and how have you adjusted to be successful in that new definition?
EAGER: The last few years brought a lot of positive change to Indeed. We put our internal culture under a magnifying glass and decided to make some really positive changes. Just some of these changes included a solid HR department, increasing the minimum pay for production and packaging employees to a more livable wage, and adding really amazing health benefits. We also expanded our specialty beer and beverage game quite a bit, focusing on beverages like Two Good (our first sparkling THC beverage that is currently flying out the door) and some unique account specific beers, one-offs, and seasonals.
BREWER: What strategic growth opportunity do you feel is still “out there” for your brand and how are you working on capitalizing on it this year?
EAGER: All things THC. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves in this area.
BREWER: If you had one business strategy that you could implement to better the brewing industry, what would it be?
EAGER: More thorough research and small batch trials when developing new products. I want releases to go smoothly and result in the highest quality beverage possible. Minnesota is already a fantastic craft beer state, and it’s up to all of us in this industry to make it even better as the years go on. I’d love for this state to have a reputation from outsiders that it’s rare to find a bad beer anywhere.
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