In this episode, we speak with James Thomson of , one of the breweries in Shepparton.
Listen in as James discusses how he and his two partners came up with the idea to set up a brewery, the history of the brewery in Shepparton, how Wildlife is growing its community via their membership program, and his plans for the future of the business post-COVID.
Key Highlights
● [00:57] An introduction to James Thomson
● [04:33] The joys of managing a lifestyle business
● [05:46] How James came up with the name of his brewery
● [07:42] Unearthing the history of Shepparton’s brewing history
● [10:03] What each of Wildlife’s three founders bring to the business
● [11:02] What makes Wildlife’s beers different?
● [14:02] How Wildlife came to be
● [15:34] Wildlife’s first customers
● [16:25] Early challenges while starting the business
● [18:50] How Wildlife’s membership works
● [20:10] Upcoming beers within the next 12 months
● [23:14] Local pubs partnered with Wildlife
● [24:01] How James would describe his wildlife
● [26:04] Wildlife’s most outstanding members
● [28:17] The ins-and-outs of running a microbrewery
● [30:37] How much beer does James drink?
● [33:12] James’s goal for the business
● [35:12] Who locally inspires James?
● [36:02] James’s message to the Shepparton public
Powerful Quotes by James
● There will never be a time when you look at the bank account and go, “Oh, there’s enough money.” It doesn’t really work like that. You’re the asset that’s going to generate that money.
● A great beer is a balanced beer.
● Our best asset is that we don’t know everything about making beer, and that’s what helps us make good beer.
● You might sometimes brew a beer that just goes on its own little journey and you can’t explain why. You investigate and find out.
● A business is shaped by the things that happen along the journey.
