MONROE - Minhas Craft Brewery makes something for everyone, which stabilizes it in the current restless economy.
"Minhas is not only growing, it is thriving," Pam Christopher, director of Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.
MCCI choose Minhas President Gary Olson to speak about the brewery's success at the organization's annual social and dinner meeting Thursday at Turner Hall.
"We're fortunate to have products at both ends of the price scale," Olson told The Monroe Times.
"We have the fancy all-malt craft premium beers that are priced higher, but we also have the standard good old American-style lagers," he said.
The lagers, like Mountain Creek and Huber, are easy to drink and not overwhelming, he said. The all-malts include Swiss Amber and Lazy Mutt, two recently released products.
Minhas also produces the Blumer's line of sodas.
The brewery is being "cautiously optimistic," Olson said during his speech to more than 100 MCCI members.
Even during hard economic times, "people still want their sodas and beers," he said.
Despite the economy, Olson said Minhas still runs two shifts and has not laid off any of its 58 employees.
Olson had developed a working relationship with Ravinder Minhas, the brewery's owner, for three years before Minhas purchased it.
Minhas went from being the brewery's largest customer to being its owner, who made a long-term, multi-generational commitment and made a $6 million capital investment in the brewery, Olson said.
Since the purchase, the brewery has doubled its employees, added 40 labels to its product line and increased its yearly production of beer to 200,000 barrels last year, Olson said. The brewery produced 40,000 barrels in 2002.
The brewery also is nearing completion of a fermentation cellar, which will allow the brewery to produce 340,000 barrels yearly.
Ric Genthe, of the advertising, design and marketing firm Ric Genthe and Associates in Brodhead, said Green County needs to be proactive, not reactive, in its planning to bring new business into the area. He tries to create ties between Brodhead and Monroe.
The county can "capitalize on the economic downturn," he said.
"We're two hours from Chicago. We need to produce an active plan to get Chicago up here," Genthe said. "This is the country. City folks don't know what a cow is ... or how cheese is made."
"Awareness" is a key word for Monroe, according to Christine Luchi, of SeaMaster Cruises.
"When I talk to people in Minnesota, they say, what do you have to offer? There's a lot going on in the summertime," she said.
"The Epicurean center was a great idea," that would draw people from Madison in with cooking courses, she said.
"Keep it less expensive than in Chicago," she said.
Luchi said she has taken cooking classes at The Dining Room in Monticello, and has recommended the restaurant to people from Madison.
Matt Campbell, originally from Winslow, Ill., joined Fehr-Graham and Associates in May, after graduating from UW-Platteville with a civil engineering degree and interning with the firm.
He sees the firm growing.
"They have a lot going for them," he said. "Their engineering is making the best environment possible for businesses downtown to apply their abilities to expand."
Fehr-Graham was hired by the City of Monroe to oversee the designing and reconstruction of the downtown Square.
Campbell is one of the "boomerang" population that the Future Forward Green County is looking to help grow the county. Raised in the area, Boomerangers return after a period of time away for schooling or work.
Campbell said big cities, like Chicago, were not on his list of job applications. Monroe was close to home and his family, he said.
Will he stay in the area?
"I can see it," he said.
"Minhas is not only growing, it is thriving," Pam Christopher, director of Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said.
MCCI choose Minhas President Gary Olson to speak about the brewery's success at the organization's annual social and dinner meeting Thursday at Turner Hall.
"We're fortunate to have products at both ends of the price scale," Olson told The Monroe Times.
"We have the fancy all-malt craft premium beers that are priced higher, but we also have the standard good old American-style lagers," he said.
The lagers, like Mountain Creek and Huber, are easy to drink and not overwhelming, he said. The all-malts include Swiss Amber and Lazy Mutt, two recently released products.
Minhas also produces the Blumer's line of sodas.
The brewery is being "cautiously optimistic," Olson said during his speech to more than 100 MCCI members.
Even during hard economic times, "people still want their sodas and beers," he said.
Despite the economy, Olson said Minhas still runs two shifts and has not laid off any of its 58 employees.
Olson had developed a working relationship with Ravinder Minhas, the brewery's owner, for three years before Minhas purchased it.
Minhas went from being the brewery's largest customer to being its owner, who made a long-term, multi-generational commitment and made a $6 million capital investment in the brewery, Olson said.
Since the purchase, the brewery has doubled its employees, added 40 labels to its product line and increased its yearly production of beer to 200,000 barrels last year, Olson said. The brewery produced 40,000 barrels in 2002.
The brewery also is nearing completion of a fermentation cellar, which will allow the brewery to produce 340,000 barrels yearly.
Ric Genthe, of the advertising, design and marketing firm Ric Genthe and Associates in Brodhead, said Green County needs to be proactive, not reactive, in its planning to bring new business into the area. He tries to create ties between Brodhead and Monroe.
The county can "capitalize on the economic downturn," he said.
"We're two hours from Chicago. We need to produce an active plan to get Chicago up here," Genthe said. "This is the country. City folks don't know what a cow is ... or how cheese is made."
"Awareness" is a key word for Monroe, according to Christine Luchi, of SeaMaster Cruises.
"When I talk to people in Minnesota, they say, what do you have to offer? There's a lot going on in the summertime," she said.
"The Epicurean center was a great idea," that would draw people from Madison in with cooking courses, she said.
"Keep it less expensive than in Chicago," she said.
Luchi said she has taken cooking classes at The Dining Room in Monticello, and has recommended the restaurant to people from Madison.
Matt Campbell, originally from Winslow, Ill., joined Fehr-Graham and Associates in May, after graduating from UW-Platteville with a civil engineering degree and interning with the firm.
He sees the firm growing.
"They have a lot going for them," he said. "Their engineering is making the best environment possible for businesses downtown to apply their abilities to expand."
Fehr-Graham was hired by the City of Monroe to oversee the designing and reconstruction of the downtown Square.
Campbell is one of the "boomerang" population that the Future Forward Green County is looking to help grow the county. Raised in the area, Boomerangers return after a period of time away for schooling or work.
Campbell said big cities, like Chicago, were not on his list of job applications. Monroe was close to home and his family, he said.
Will he stay in the area?
"I can see it," he said.