I didn't expect to talk about a serial killer when I sat down with Devon
Kreps recently, but sometimes life can be full of surprises.
For a while, that was a recurring theme for Devon and her brewery, 7venth
Sun, which she co-owns with Justin Stange. As you'll hear in our
discussion, natural disasters and local tragedies played an unexpected and
unfortunate role in the early story of their brewery's new production space
in Tampa, Florida. But when we got together, it was in the cozy confines of
their original brewery and taproom in Dunedin, a sort of golf cart
community also on the western side of the state.
Devon and Justin opened 7venth Sun in 2012 after meeting at Sweetwater
Brewing, and her roots in beer go back to a degree in fermentation science
from Oregon State University and time spent with Anheuser-Busch. You'll
hear from Devon on a lot of similar topics craft brewers are facing today,
from finding a niche in a local market to learning how to best run a
business and, perhaps most important, overcome unexpected challenges for
which you have no control. Through it all, Devon has helped run one of the
flagship breweries in the greater Tampa area providing growth and
excitement for her team and customers alike.
Grab a Florida weisse, relax in a reclining chair and think of sandy
beaches.
