Brewbound Awards 2025: Rising Stars - Pure Project

Speaker 1 [00:00] Let's meet our next brewbound rising star. It's San Diego's Pure Project. Joining me now is Pure Project founder Matt Robar. Congratulations, Matt.

Speaker 2 [00:10] Yeah, appreciate it. Thank you to, uh, thank you to everyone for the award and we're super excited for it.

Speaker 1 [00:16] We're stoked to get to, to, uh, honor you this year and we're talking a little bit before we started recording and about a decade ago, I visited your tap room.

Speaker 2 [00:28] Yeah, it's been, it's 10 years in January and we were just discussing that. You, you kind of visited, you know, our first of the, the initial, the teeny little brewery there in, uh, in Miramar that's right by, you know, all the, uh, all the, all the past success stories from San Diego Beer, right? We were right next to, you know, what you would call, you know, Ballast Point and You know, the Saint Archer and, and all that type of stuff. So we were kind of right in that epicenter, which all that was happening about 10 years ago, actually, when we were just first getting started and opening our doors.

Speaker 1 [00:59] Yeah, and it's really wild to think that those breweries, which seemed too big to fail and were acquired by massive breweries, uh, some of them aren't around like Saint Archer. Some of them have changed hands like Ballast Point. Now you've got a new neighbor in Athletic Brewing. It, it's amazing how much things have changed in 10 years.

Speaker 2 [01:20] Yeah, if you would have told me that a non-alcoholic brewery was gonna take over that massive brewery out our back door, I would have told you you were crazy 10 years ago, you know, um, so, uh, yeah, a lot of, a lot has changed for sure.

Speaker 1 [01:34] So let's dial into what's going on at Pure Project because you've been driving a lot of double-digit growth over the years and you've just steadily grown in San Diego. What's been driving that for you?

Speaker 2 [01:47] Yeah, it's a, it's a really good question, and we've always actually tried to be fairly pragmatic about our growth and, you know, a lot of the You know, I, I called it, uh, you know, success stories, but maybe in some ways they're also cautionary tales, right? Of, you know, breweries and cause we're also, you know, out here with stone as well. And so, um, a lot of times what we saw is, you know, things looking really great and then people growing a little bit too fast, right? And so we've always kind of been a little bit more on the conservative side with the growth and so we slow, in the beginning, in the first You know, 7 to 8 years, we really just kind of added taprooms, you know, and so we went from one taproom, we built out our brewing space at Miramar a little bit more, and then we ended up, and now we have, uh, 5 total tap rooms. Um, during COVID, we were actually able to acquire a brewing facility, um, from another brewery that had gone out of business. And that has since allowed us to expand our production a little bit, which has been great, and that has now also allowed us to go into wholesale in a more meaningful way. And so really in the last two years, um, that's kind of been a bit of a focus and that's where some of the growth has been coming up from recently because the last taproom we opened was this brewery here in Vista, which is where I am right now actually, um, and that was in 22. So, yeah, it's been a couple of years since we've added a new taproom and now we're really just kind of focused on Um, you know, the growth from the wholesale side.

Speaker 1 [03:16] So which products are you putting out at distribution that are really driving the growth for you?

Speaker 2 [03:22] You know, for us, we did not put any wholesale out before. So all of any and all of our products right now, honestly, because we, we just hadn't done it before. We didn't make enough beer to do. Uh, that much wholesaler distribution in the past. Um, and so we're kind of putting all of them out there. We don't have a, um, uh, a huge, um, catalog of core beers, you know. Uh, we have 4 to 5, uh, core beers, and that's really, you know, a big piece of what we're focusing on, but we still, we still produce a lot of specialties, you know, uh, twice a month. Month we release two specialty, you know, canned beers and we try and release some, uh, bottled specialties every month as well. And so, and then there's, you know, draft stuff coming out into the tap rooms and, you know, local restaurants and things like that as well in between as well. So we try and keep a, a rotating list to keep things interesting and fun while still pressing into, you know, some of the core as well.

Speaker 1 [04:14] With that taproom business, what are you hearing from customers right now on what they want when they're coming in?

Speaker 2 [04:20] Yeah, you know, it's interesting, um, it's San Diego specifically because San Diego has seen a ton of turnover, uh, in the last two years specifically. We've seen a lot of breweries close. Um, and I, and I think what people are looking for is, is changing a little bit in that they're looking for options, right? They're, you know, certain people within a group that they're going out may not just be like, they all want to go have beer, right? And so for us, you know, having Having a little bit of food at taprooms and which we've incorporated and having um some non-alcoholic options and having wine and different things like that has really just kind of expanded the, the reach of people that you can talk to, you know, and so for us as we expand into those different, um, those different ancillary categories or silos, it's really important for us just to do it in a way that feels really authentic to us, um, and so, you know, we're, we're trying to be really pragmatic about how we do that, so.

Speaker 1 [05:14] Well, and once you get them in, then you can make them fans and sort of build that trust with them, and they see that you're more than, more than a brewery.

Speaker 2 [05:23] Well, that's always been, that's always been a part of it, right, is we wanted to not just serve you a beer in a glass, but tell you the story of the beer in the glass, right? And if you can tell the story of the beer in the glass, then the connection goes a little bit deeper, right? It's just like a sommelier. We've always said it's like a sommelier, you know, before he serves you, you know. Um, this dry Riesling from Germany, right? He's telling you the story of where it's grown and the hillsides on which it's, which it's grown and the family history and the two, you know, the two dogs that walk the vines every day with the owner. And like you're start, you're building this picture and you're starting to understand the love and the care and the ingredients and everything that goes into it before you even take a sip. And so it builds that reverence a little bit. And so we always try and tell the story a little bit. Um, you know, to, to the beer that's in the glass and not just like, yeah, there's some hops in it, you know, which, you know, sometimes that's all, all you have time for, right? And so, but, you know, when we have time we like to always do a little bit of storytelling and,

Speaker 1 [06:22] and you're a 1% For the Planet company too, so I think that that would help tell that story of Pure Project.

Speaker 2 [06:31] Absolutely. That's always been a big piece of, of who we are and it's always been a bit of a North Star for us. And so I think people really do connect to that. But it's also not something that you can always easily communicate, right? And so, you know, that's why the taprooms are really important for us, right? You, it, you can tell that story a lot easier over a bar than you can on a on a, on a package, right? And so, It's a, it's, it is really important for us to, you know, connect with our fans and connect with the people who, you know, have kind of raised their hand to say, you know, like this is the type of stuff I'm into. I, I like what you guys are doing. I like the types of ingredients you're sourcing and how you're, you know, showing up in the community and, you know, giving back to environmental groups and things of that nature. And so it's really important for us to be able to be there locally and to, you know, have those conversations and build those relationships.

Speaker 1 [07:19] When you reflect back on 2025, what do you consider the biggest win of the year for peer peer project?

Speaker 2 [07:26] Oh, the biggest win of the year, I would say it has been our ability to, uh, you know, grow the wholesale side of our business, you know, it. It has grown in a way in which we've had to shift a lot of the things that we're doing, um, and so it, the whole team, it's been a huge team effort. It's not just, you know, sales and logistics and market, it's, it's the entire team, it's production, it's, uh, you know, all the different teams that have to grow and to have to adapt to the new things that we're doing and all that stuff and so just. The way that the team has really come together to support that wholesale growth, I think has been really, really important. And at the same time, the taprooms have done an exceptional job, you know, their, you know, their 5 star and their customer service ratings and all that keeps, you know, going up across the board. And so to know that we can grow into other areas and the The retail side of the business is still staying extremely strong and, you know, people are still being taken care of and, you know, I think that that's just really cool to see and it's super important for us, you know, not to lose that connection. Honestly, just the way that the whole team has adapted to all the changes in the last several years, let's be honest, it's been an interesting industry in the last several years. I think everybody will attest to that. Uh, and so, you know, we have such an amazing team and just their ability to adapt and kind of roll with the punches have been awesome to see.

Speaker 1 [08:44] When you look ahead to 2026, what do you see as the biggest opportunity ahead for Peer project?

Speaker 2 [08:51] Yeah, it's a great question, uh, and one that we ask ourselves all the time and in our Planning meetings as well, right? You know, what, what's coming next, and I think it really is just trying to stay ahead of potentially some of the consumer trends, try and meet people where they are and where they're gonna be in 206 and do it in a way that still feels, feels authentic to us in our ethos.

Speaker 1 [09:10] So where do you think the consumer is gonna be in 2026?

Speaker 2 [09:14] Well, you know, I don't think, uh, I don't think NA is slowing down in any way, shape or form, you know, um, so I, I think that's something we'd really like to explore in 2026, so.

Speaker 1 [09:24] That's pretty exciting, yeah. Well, we'll be looking forward to that and we couldn't be happier to honor Pure Projects. So, congratulations to you, Matt, and your team.

Speaker 2 [09:36] Thank you all. Appreciate you. Thanks, everybody.