We recently connected with Bryan Schubert and have shared our conversation below.

Bryan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?

6 months after opening COVID changed our business model. Which included selling to-go beer in cans. We luckily were able to buy cans from a local brewery in Festus, Main and Mill, and started single canning beers one by one to stay afloat. The community really supported us through that time, including local breweries, so while it was a huge struggle, it also brings back some fond memories.
Outside of that, probably nothing much different than all the challenges any other small business owner experiences.

Bryan, 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 always had a passion for home brewing and began winning several homebrew awards and competitions through the years, then in spring of 2019 the stars aligned.
My then employer downsized, and I was let go from my career in Marketing. At that same time a building that I had always loved in my hometown of Millstadt, IL came available. With a little encouragement from my wife, Lizzy, we decided to take a leap and make brewing my full-time career.
Our family and friends helped us renovated the 1940’s service station located just a mile down the road from the butcher shop my parents owned in Millstadt for over 37 years.
We opened October 3rd, 2019. As a small hometown brewery, our focus is and always will be on improving our community, utilizing local ingredients, and offering a thoughtful rotating variety of beer showcasing our style of brewing.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Always surround yourself with good people!
We have great employees at Millpond, and I can’t thank them enough for being so educated about our beers, they make sure the taproom is in top shape and excel in customer service. Their positive attitude, especially handling all the curveballs during our recent production expansion to support our recent distribution expansion into Missouri, is what helps make us successful.
It’s very comforting to know that we have a staff that’s always prepared and willing to do what it takes.
Our slogan is “A Gathering Place” so creating a great family friendly experience is what we’re all about!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Focusing on making the best beer possible, each batch, every glass, and give back to your community!

Sensory training is a big part of brewing beer! If you discover issues during quality assurance (QA) you have to be honest with yourself, and while it may sting financially to not release that batch, it will hurt more if you put an inferior product into the marketplace that you are not proud of, and that you know is not up to your quality standards.

After learning about food insecurity issues in our community, my wife (Lizzy) and I started a not for profit charity A Millpond Giving Place.
Childhood hunger is a widespread issue and it is no different here in the Millstadt community. In addition, recent grant programs funding these programs in our community have run out.

Here alone 22% of students are on free/reduced lunch, 26% of our kids are coming to school without breakfast. That means that over 1/4 of our student population comes to school not fully prepared ready to learn. Plus, on the weekends and during the summer months many students go without meals.

We hold an event called the Millpine Derby, Pinewood Derby style race. All funds raised from the Millpine Derby will go toward funding school lunch programs, student breakfast, plus after school, weekend, and summer food programs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://millpondbrewing.com
• Instagram: @millpondbrewing
• Facebook: @millpondbrewing
• Linkedin: @millpondbrewing
• Twitter: @millpondbrewing
• Youtube: @millpondbrewing

Image Credits

Building Shots: Nick Simmonds/Whole Brain Digital