Widmer turns 21!
The microbrewing revolution is coming of age. Kurt and Rob Widmer founded their microbrewery on April 2, 1984 in Portland, Oregon, and in the intervening 21 years, the company has grown into one of the top craft brewers in the United States.The two brothers began their careers as homebrewers. Then, with the help of family and friends, they built their first brewery using equipment salvaged from scrap yards. The first brewery was located in Northwest Portland in a 4000-square-foot warehouse. From there the brothers brewed during the day and delivered the beer to local establishments in a little red Datsun truck.
"I think we owe our longevity to three key factors," said Rob Widmer. "First we've never forgotten the number one rule; always make great tasting beer. Secondly, we were smart enough to hire people who take great pride in following rule number one. Finally, we've always listened to what our customers want. Most of the time, they just want us to make great tasting beer."
Widmer Brothers beer is now available in 45 states nation-wide.
The Widmer brothers said that the small birthday party at the brewery would be followed by successively more raucous events. "Much like the start of our brewery, we thought we'd begin in a low-key way, and then we're going to build toward a major blow-out in the fall, where we're hoping to celebrate like it's 1984 ... or something like that," said Kurt Widmer.
For the benefit of the media, the two brothers noted some little known aspects of the company, including the fact that their dad Ray works on the bottling line. Also, they report that Widmer employees are rewarded with free beer for life after 10 years of service.
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| Publication: | Modern Brewery Age |
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| Article Type: | Brief Article |
| Geographic Code: | 1USA |
| Date: | Apr 11, 2005 |
| Words: | 287 |
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