1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fear and Greed Sunday feature oh Michael Thompson. 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Last year, seaw Naylmer spoke with DJ McCready, the co 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: founder of Mountain Culture Beer Company, which is a craft 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: brewer that seems to be defying the trend within the 5 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: beer industry of a lot of these smaller independent breweries 6 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: closing down. We've seen that even in the last couple 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: of weeks, with Mountain Culture actually buying another beer company, 8 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: Fox Friday, out of administration, adding their assets and their 9 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: operations in multiple cities around the country to the growing 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: Mountain Culture empire. This is shaw Naalema speaking with DJ 11 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: McCready back in March of last year. It is a 12 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: great chat about a really interesting business. I hope you 13 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:40,639 Speaker 1: enjoy it. 14 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 2: Welcome to the Fear and Greed business interview. I'm sure, Ailma. 15 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 2: After booming for a decade or so, the craft beer 16 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 2: industry is in a bit of trouble. More than a 17 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 2: dozen independent breweries across the country have either shut down 18 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 2: or gone into stration over the past year, including some 19 00:01:02,320 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 2: big names like Wayward Brewing, Hawkers, and Ballistic. But there 20 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,880 Speaker 2: are still some standout success stories that have continued to grow, 21 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 2: and grow and grow. One of those is a Mountain 22 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: Culture Beer Co, which started as a small brewery in 23 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 2: Katoomba in the New South Wales Blue Mountains back in 24 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 2: twenty nineteen. Since then, Mountain Culture has increased production by 25 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 2: four thousand percent, been voted to Australia's Favorite Beer twice, 26 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: released over three hundred limited release beers, and is stocked 27 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 2: in over a thousand independent bottle shops across the country. 28 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 2: DJ McCready is the CEO and co founder of Mountain 29 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 2: Culture Beer Co. DJ. Welcome to Fear and Greed. 30 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:42,880 Speaker 3: Thanks Sean. Great to be here. Now. 31 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 2: I'll get your thoughts on the broader industry in a moment, 32 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: But tell me the Mountain Culture story. I drive, to 33 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 2: be honest, I drive pass Katomber all the time and 34 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: I didn't ever until this interview came up. I didn't 35 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 2: know anything about you. Tell me your story. 36 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 3: Oh mate, well you have to start in at some point. Yeah. 37 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 4: So look, Mountain Cultures started out in Kasumba twenty nineteen. 38 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 4: We opened our doors, took on a heritage building up 39 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 4: there because you know, we just really connected with the 40 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 4: Blue Mountains and really wanted to start our brand in 41 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 4: an area that had a lot of character to it 42 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 4: and several things that we could draw inspiration from. So 43 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 4: my wife and I have both been big outdoor fans 44 00:02:26,800 --> 00:02:30,919 Speaker 4: our whole lives and really feeling like the Blue Mountains 45 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 4: was just the right spot to start up our brand. 46 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 4: So we set out twenty nineteen to open up a 47 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:42,920 Speaker 4: small group bub One because we really wanted to have 48 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 4: a lot of connection with our customers, and two because well, 49 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 4: even though we had pretty big dreams about where the 50 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 4: company would go, we didn't have the biggest budget, and 51 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 4: opening up brubub was pretty much all the cash that 52 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 4: we could possibly scrounge together. They're looking under every you know, mattress, 53 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,679 Speaker 4: borrowing every little sent from anybody who was able to 54 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 4: loan us the money, and yeah, we opened up as 55 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 4: a small little operation up there. 56 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 2: Are you a brewer or something? Presumably you need skill 57 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 2: to brew beer? Who does that for you? 58 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 3: Yeah? 59 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 4: Absolutely? So My background has always been in production. I 60 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,400 Speaker 4: started brewing when I was about I think twenty two 61 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 4: twenty three years old, just making beer on my sink 62 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 4: in my apartment back in the US with a roommate. 63 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 3: I ended up teaching for a university for a while 64 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 3: Brewing Science. 65 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 4: Moved over here to Australia in twenty fourteen to be 66 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 4: part of a startup on the Northern Beaches and then 67 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 4: set out to open up our own company to where 68 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 4: you know, I was the founding brewer of you know, 69 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 4: leading the team and looking towards the future of the brewer. 70 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 4: I find it just insanely valuable to actually come from 71 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 4: production and actually have such a love for beer making 72 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 4: and the product, so. 73 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 2: I kind of get wine making. I don't necessarily know 74 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 2: much about beer making. Now, for those who don't know 75 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 2: Mountain Culture beer, you twice have taken out the top 76 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 2: spot in the Gab's Hottest one hundred Craft be at 77 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 2: People's Choice Pole. That's a big deal in your industry. 78 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 2: It's a huge deal. What is it about bee making? 79 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,720 Speaker 2: What's the ingredient? Is it a timing thing, is it 80 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 2: a moisture thing? What is it that makes be so good? 81 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 2: Particularly your bee? 82 00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 3: Well? 83 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 4: Look, I think this is the reason why I've always 84 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 4: been so in love with this industry and beer making 85 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 4: in general, is there's just endless possibilities of the way 86 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:52,440 Speaker 4: you can go about creating beer. There's so many different inputs. 87 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,359 Speaker 4: Farmed locally and from around the world. And then there's 88 00:04:56,400 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 4: a million different ways to process those inputs depending on 89 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 4: you know, the manufacturing equipment that you put in your 90 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 4: ethos as far as a brewer, what you you know 91 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,920 Speaker 4: find interesting on your palette, and the way that you 92 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 4: want the beers to come across. There's so many different 93 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 4: variables that it's just literally endless the different opportunities you 94 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 4: can have to create a beer. 95 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 3: So for us, we don't. 96 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 4: Really focus on one particular thing with our beer making. 97 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 4: My philosophy has always been that it's the sum of 98 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 4: several small parts coming together that really make a beer 99 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 4: go from being ordinary to extraordinary. 100 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 3: And that's the same way that we run the company. 101 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,479 Speaker 4: That there's no one part of Mountain Culture that makes 102 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 4: it such a great beer bery. It's the sum of 103 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 4: every little part of the company coming together to make it, 104 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 4: you know, a really standout brand. 105 00:05:54,120 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 2: Stay with me, DJ, we'll be back in a minute. 106 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,839 Speaker 2: I'm speaking to DJ McCready. So, yeah, and co founder 107 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 2: of Mountain Culture BECO. Okay, So, your first group pub 108 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 2: was capable of brewing sixty thousand liters a year, you know, 109 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 2: have the capacity for eight million laters with a new 110 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,919 Speaker 2: production facility at em New Planes in Sydney's West. That 111 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 2: is huge growth and very very quickly. How daunting was 112 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 2: it for you to step up production like that? 113 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,840 Speaker 4: You know, I think I stopped thinking about it like 114 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,760 Speaker 4: about six or seven months in. I remember the hardest 115 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 4: decision that I had was when we were sitting at 116 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 4: that sixty thousand liter a year mark, and at that 117 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 4: point I could count all the people that were involved 118 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 4: in our business. 119 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 3: Probably on one hand. 120 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 4: I remember looking at like, Okay, if I order more equipment, 121 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:54,799 Speaker 4: and I think at this point we were talking about 122 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 4: like eighty one hundred grand worth of equipment coming in. 123 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,440 Speaker 4: I really just felt like I was like that was 124 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,000 Speaker 4: the point of no return for me, because we've gone 125 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 4: from being like a we just sell a little bit 126 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:08,599 Speaker 4: of beer over our own bar and we're happy there. 127 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 4: So like now we're dipping our toes into the real world, 128 00:07:12,440 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 4: and you know, once we just jumped in, you know, 129 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 4: my competitive nature was really taking over at that point 130 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 4: and being like, well, we've gone from being like we're 131 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 4: creating a little bit of beer for the Blue Mountains 132 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 4: to the only way I'm going to accept that we're 133 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 4: successful is if we're you know, the strongest national craft 134 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 4: brand that's out there. 135 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 2: So how did you how did you grow your brand? 136 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 3: Then? 137 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 2: Because many people would be listening to this and think 138 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:41,200 Speaker 2: it's a great story, but how do you grow your brand? 139 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 2: It's such a competitive industry too. 140 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,640 Speaker 4: It's a super competitive industry. There's a lot of talented 141 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 4: people in this industry, a lot of really creative people 142 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 4: in this industry. And I think, again, like in a nutshell, 143 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 4: I come back to like, there's not one thing that 144 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 4: I can really point to to say, you know what, 145 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 4: that's what made Mountain Calf successful. Again, it was just 146 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,679 Speaker 4: of you know a lot of small parts coming together 147 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 4: that made the whole better. 148 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 3: You know. 149 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 4: Where we were really focusing a lot on R and 150 00:08:10,120 --> 00:08:14,480 Speaker 4: D and creating, creating products that when we've started, people 151 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 4: used to say, oh, you're a hype brewery and like 152 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 4: as it's kind of a negative thing. And I used 153 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,200 Speaker 4: to really take that and be like, yes, I'm excited 154 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:26,240 Speaker 4: to create products or excited about I want to give 155 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 4: people something that they're like so stoked about that they 156 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 4: want to tell all their friends and they want to 157 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:33,240 Speaker 4: tell their family about it, and they want to buy 158 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 4: the hat and the T shirt and wear the brand. 159 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:39,160 Speaker 4: But then you know, we really ran the businesses. We've 160 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 4: never looked to create customers like we've looked to create, like, 161 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,840 Speaker 4: you know, more family and friends around our brand, and 162 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 4: to just have a lot of fun with what we do, 163 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 4: because at the end of the day, we are brewing beer. 164 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 4: It's you know, it is a fun product. It's meant 165 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:57,319 Speaker 4: to be part of people's fun times. It's meant to 166 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 4: be part of the social gatherings and people reconnect thing. 167 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 4: So really just you know, embodying that with our marketing 168 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 4: and the way that we communicate with people and the 169 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 4: way that we interact with you know, our fans and 170 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 4: friends of the brand at Advance has been really important 171 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 4: to us. 172 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,120 Speaker 2: So twelve years ago, a friend of mine decided to 173 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 2: drink a different beer every day, three hundred and sixty 174 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 2: five beers. By the time we got to about three hundred, 175 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 2: he was really struggling to find a different beer to 176 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:27,080 Speaker 2: get to fast food. Five years, let's say, and it 177 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,120 Speaker 2: was just the whole craft beer industry just took off 178 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,319 Speaker 2: and there were so many Now we're actually seeing them 179 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 2: pull back with the administrators and closures of some what's 180 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,960 Speaker 2: the prognosis for the industry, for the craft beer industry, 181 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,600 Speaker 2: and keeping in mind that you have the big players, 182 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 2: the Cubs in Line, the Asahi and Kieran's who have 183 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:48,640 Speaker 2: bought a bunch of Australian craft beers. You have the 184 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 2: idea of craft washing and that what's the outlook for 185 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 2: guys like you. 186 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 4: Look, I mean, at the end of the day, like 187 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 4: I think, any industry is going to have its challenges, 188 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 4: you know, And I think craft beer has been very 189 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 4: lucky to be living in a bubble for a really 190 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,560 Speaker 4: long time to where, you know, it's kind of glory 191 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 4: days of craft It was easy to sell, you know, 192 00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 4: there was there was just lots and lots and lots 193 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 4: of abundant green pastures for everybody to go to. And 194 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:23,200 Speaker 4: I think now it is becoming more competitive, and you know, 195 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 4: I think that that happens in any successful industry, and 196 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 4: it does make growth more challenging, and we have to 197 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,400 Speaker 4: be creative about the way that we grow our products 198 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:41,480 Speaker 4: and the way that we grow the interest in what 199 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 4: we're doing. But you know, I still really think those 200 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 4: opportunities exist out there, and I don't think it's necessarily 201 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,680 Speaker 4: as doom and gloom as you know, everybody lets on like, yeah, 202 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 4: there are challenging, you know times with the majors creating 203 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 4: their own brands. But you know, at the same time, 204 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:05,800 Speaker 4: there's a lot more educated fans out there on craft 205 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:08,439 Speaker 4: beer in general, who you know, know the difference and 206 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 4: who reach for a product that actually has a genuine 207 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 4: breed behind it, who's putting everything into making that product 208 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 4: better and better, and you know, delivering on like really 209 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 4: quality experiences with their beers. So you know, yeah, it's 210 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 4: definitely more challenging, but I think that that's just any 211 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 4: industry as it evolves. 212 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,120 Speaker 2: Good luck with it, DJ, thank you for talking to 213 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 2: Fear and Greed. 214 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 3: Awesome, thank you for having me. 215 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 2: That was DJ McCready, CEO and co founder of Mountain 216 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 2: Culture be Co. This is a Fear and Greed business interview. 217 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 2: Join us every morning for the full episode of Fear 218 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 2: and Greed, Australia's best business podcast. I'm Sean aelma Enjoy 219 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:48,680 Speaker 2: your day.