Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lauren Houston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about an important lesson you learned while working at a prior job?

Prior to opening up Mindscape Fermentations, I was managing another brewery on the other side of town. The position started as just a simple beertending position, but then I saw other opportunities in the business. I quickly started managing the taproom, social media, and distribution. As the company grew, so did my role and extra help was needed. I hired on my first employee and later my second and, within a couple years, I was managing 5 employees and the brewery as a whole.

This was my first experience being in a management role and being responsible for managing my own time. There were weeks I needed to work over 100 hours, so staying self-motivated and focused was crucial. This wasn’t my own business, but it felt like it and a lot was riding on my work. There was no clocking in and out. There were infrequent check-ins on my work. It was up to me to make sure I was always giving my best because that consistency and hard work were necessary for the growth of the business.

As I moved on to opening a brewery of my own, this experience was invaluable. I had the tools I needed to stay motivated consistently, work hard, and work independently.

Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I graduated with a degree in Economics from UC Davis in 2010. I initially thought I wanted to be in the finance industry, but soon realized a desk job was just not for me. I decided to completely switch gears and commute out to Napa, CA to work in the wine industry. It was a fun adventure that led me to working at a vineyard in New Zealand for a season. After returning home, I found a part-time position at a brewery. What was supposed to be a temporary job to hold me over, turned into my next career. Within a couple years I was managing the brewery and several employees.

After five years, I realized the natural next step was to open up my own place. I partnered with two business partners who had brewing backgrounds to open Mindscape Fermentations. The beer industry was already very saturated at that point and honestly we felt constrained only doing beer anyway, so we decided to open up a full fermentation house. We still brew craft beer, but we also make our own kombucha, seltzer, kefir water, probiotic soda, and several types of fermented foods that we serve on their own, as well as with our paninis and charcuterie boards.

We have always felt that a diversified set of products would bring in a diversified group of people and we have not been disappointed. Our beloved Mindscape community is as diverse as it gets, but the one thing they have in common is they are some of the most kind and supportive people we could ask for.

Our offerings and our amazing customers are not the only unique aspect to our brewery and restaurant, we also do not have the typical brewery vibe when you walk in. Comfortable cushioned seating, lots of indoor plants, and warm lighting are some of the elements we thought were important to welcome everyone and exude cozy, relaxing vibes. One of the reasons we chose Mindscape as the name was because we wanted our space to be a place to “escape your mind” and we hope we’ve achieved that.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding Mindscape Fermentations was incredibly challenging and gives me so much more respect for anyone that has started a business. There was nothing simple about it. We first started with our personal savings, but as our costs grew, we quickly needed more. We then took on the challenging task of asking friends and family for small loans. Unsurprisingly, our costs continued to grow even beyond these funds. We started the process of looking into bank loans. This process was so much more involved than I ever could have imagined. The amount of paperwork needed, the multiple emails and phone calls, and the vast amount of information exchanged was shocking and it didn’t guarantee anything. When we finally found a bank willing to loan us what we needed, the interest rate was so much higher than anticipated.

We went back to our family and friends and took on the challenging task of asking for even more loans. Asking people you love for money is incredibly hard, but we were so very lucky that we have extremely generous people in our lives. We were almost all the way there, but still did not have enough to take us to the finish line, so we reached out to companies offering specifically equipment loans. With collateral involved, this was a much more straightforward process thankfully, but still took some time and limited us to just equipment. This final piece helped us reach our goal and we finally were able to open.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Having a positive reputation within the beer and restaurant industry is so crucial to success. We are so lucky that we had a huge network before we opened our doors from several years of work in the industry. These connections are absolutely the biggest reason that we started out on the right foot. We have bartenders, restaurant managers, servers, and owners from all over the area that were kind enough to not only visit our business early on, but go back to their own place of business and rave about us to their co-workers and patrons.

Of course, giving spectacular customer service and working hard to always offer the highest quality products is necessary, but receiving praise and referrals continually is what I think keeps our reputation positive. Generally, everyone highly regards the opinions of people who work at other establishments because they are the ones with the knowledge to know the difference between good and great. It’s a privilege to be highly regarded by others in our industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindscape-fermentations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindscapefermentations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindscapefermentations
• Twitter: https://x.com/MindscapeFerm
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mindscapefermentations209
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mindscape-fermentations-rocklin?osq=Mindscape+Fermentations

Image Credits

Pencil To Camera Photography