In our “Meet the Maker” series, we’ll introduce you to local personalities from each of the towns where Nest offices are located. In our technology driven world, it’s nice to meet people who are still physically making tactile things by hand. These makers enrich our communities and color the landscape of our towns. For this installment, we visit a beer brewing couple from Wilmington, NC.
Michelle & John Savard, Beer Brewers
Full transparency isn’t the mantra you’d expect from most business owners. But that’s exactly what Michelle and John Savard are offering at Wilmington Brewing Company and Wilmington Homebrew Supply. Their passion for beer making is palpable, and they’re thrilled to share knowledge with anyone who’s interested. “It’s fun to help people find what they love,” shares John.
For Michelle and John, they found what they loved early in life. They both grew up in Wilmington, NC, and started dating as seniors in high school. John started homebrewing at the age of 18, “knowing I would someday want to do something in the brew business,” he recalls. When they moved to attend college at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, they were suddenly entrenched in a society of beer drinkers and brewers.
They became intrigued with the entire industry. John was an intern at a brewery, then an employee at a popular homebrew shop. He credits the owner as being his mentor, “I learned a ton working there, I learned the business of brewing. I learned the process—what to do and what not to do.”
After John earned a degree in Business Management, and Michelle earned her degree in Mass Communications in 2011, they traveled through Europe. Visiting breweries and meeting the brewers helped them to realize that this could be more than a dream, but a viable future.
When they returned to Wilmington, they discovered that there weren’t any homebrew stores. They seized the opportunity, and launched Wilmington Homebrew Supply in March of 2012. The shop was a tiny 800-square-foot space on Front Street in downtown Wilmington. The community immediately embraced them, and even their very first weekend was a huge success. Nine months into the business, they knew that there was a need for a new brewery in town. They had the passion and the knowledge, and decided to go all in. They found the 12,000-square-foot space towards a center of Wilmington, and immediately got to work on constructing the brewery.
In the summer of 2014, Wilmington Homebrew Supply opened its doors. The space houses their 25-barrel tank system, a dog-friendly taproom, a rustic event space, an outdoor beer garden, and the Wilmington HomeBrew store. Through it all, they’ve been sharing ideas with fellow beer aficionados. “We are transparent,” Michelle explains, “we are open to all the other breweries.” This eagerness to share with others is clearly at their core. The couple, who are expecting their first child, are warm, gracious, and humble—precisely the kind of folks you’d like to share a pint of beer with.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
We ask each of our makers to share what’s in their toolbox—the five things they can’t live without:
1. Copper Beer Tanks
2. Grains, Hops, and Barley
3. Beer Keg
4. Beer Growlers
5. Taps Right from the Tanks
** Editor’s note: Since the time of publication, John and Michelle welcomed their first child, a beautiful baby girl. Congrats, guys!
We shared this story with you in our Fall/Winter 2016 Issue of NEST Magazine. To view the full issue, click here!