Company address: 701 W. Glendale Ave., Glendale, WI 53209
Company Web site: www.sprecherbrewery.com
Industry: Beverage & manufacturing
Number of employees: 52
Education: BS in physical oceanography, Humboldt State University; special studies, fermentation science, University of California-Davis.
Family: Anne Sprecher, wife, public relations and marketing; Kecia Sprecher, daughter, packaging and graphic design.
What was the smartest thing your company did in the past year? “We got our sodas into Menards, which has been a great company to work with.”
What’s new at your company? “We made our first contract brew in many years, Mamma Mia’s Pizza Beer. Tom Seefurth of Illinois created this beer, which tastes a lot like pizza and beer. It’s definitely got a fan club. We sell it in our retail store.”
Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year? “We are planning a building addition to increase the available space for the brewhouse and the fermentation cellar.”
What will be your company’s main challenges in the next year? “Dealing effectively with our distributors.”
What’s the hottest trend in your industry? “In terms of beer styles, strong beers and hoppy beers like our Dopple Bock, Imperial Stout and IPA2. Dark beers. Sprecher Black Bavarian has received a lot of national attention lately. Cooking with beer is increasingly popular and a new avenue of discovery for chefs of every caliber. Sommeliers have also realized that quality beers pair well with all sorts of food, often better than wine does. We’ve had some fantastic multi-course Sprecher dinners that used a variety of our beers in the dishes and as a pairing. Two key chefs that were ahead of the curve in this respect are chef Adam Siegel, executive chef of Bacchus and Lake Park Bistro, and chef Jason Gorman, chef de cuisine of Dream Dance Restaurant at the Potowatomi Bingo and Casino. We’re looking forward to doing more Sprecher dinners with both chefs. In the not-too-distant future, Sprecher will be the sole Wisconsin brewery at Savor, a very large food and beer event held in Washington, DC, May 16-17. This event is sponsored by the Brewers Association. Forty-eight breweries from across the nation will participate.”
Do you have a business mantra? “Never sacrifice quality. Always make the best product possible with the ingredients available. Our products and the people who work at Sprecher truly are ‘Something Special From Wisconsin.'”
From a business standpoint, who do you look up to? “A friend of mine who passed away a few years ago, Joe Saleno. He was a very good businessman and a great friend.”
What was the best advice you ever received? “Learn to be a quality trainer so that everyone can grow with the company.”
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in your career? “When we were at our first brewery in the Menomonee Valley, one morning we came to work and found that the parking lot had basically sunk into the river leaving us no way to get to our door. We couldn’t get to the brewery, so we had to get another tenant to let us in from his entrance.”
What do you like to do in your free time? “Golf, swim, travel, relax. I’m looking forward to doing more things with my 6-year-old grandson, Shane.”
