1/6/2024 0 Comments 4peaks breweryWE WOULDN'T BE BEST OFF GOING TO A VENTURE CAPITAL GROUP. WE REALIZED WE WERE NOT SUITED TO SELL TO A BANK. THE CONCEPT, THE PERCEPTION OF SELLING OUT?ĪNDY INGRAM: YEAH, OF COURSE. TED SIMONS: DID YOU WORRY ABOUT THE CONCEPT. WE SPENT A LOT OF SLEEPLESS NIGHTS THINKING ABOUT THAT. TED SIMONS: DID YOU WORRY ABOUT SELLING OUT? ANHEUSER-BUSCH TALKED ABOUT AMPLIFYING OUR PRODUCT AND MARKETING AND GETTING US REGIONAL. WITH 7,000 BREWERIES, WE HAVE TO FIND HELP. WE ARE THE 49TH LARGEST BREWERY AND IT WAS TIME TO GO OUT OF STATE. TED SIMONS: YOU SOLD ANHEUSER-BUSCH RECENTLY. BRINGING THE BUILDING UP TO CODE - THEY'LL COME PUT IT OUT NOW. I WAS LIKE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS IF IT CATCHES ON FIRE, WE'LL BE ACROSS THE STREET LETTING IT BURN. THEY SAID WE WANT YOU TO KNOW WE HAVE A DO NOT ENTER ON THIS PROPERTY. ONCE WE FOUND THE BUILDING…ĪNDY INGRAM: WE WERE WORKING ONE MORNING AND THE FIREMEN SHOWED UP. THE CITY SAID GOOD LUCK AND LEFT US ON OUR OWN. ONCE WE FOUND THE BUILDING WE THOUGHT, THIS IS IT. TED SIMONS: LOOKING BACK NOW, ARE YOU SURPRISED? TEMPE HAS BEEN GREAT TO US ALONE, NOT JUST THE PEOPLE, CITY, INVOLVEMENT, FIREMAN, EVERYBODY. TO CARRY ON THAT LEGACY, REVIVING THAT OLD NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN GREAT. THE BUILDING WE ARE IN WAS THE OLD BORDEN'S CREAMERY BUILT IN 1890. TED SIMONS: IMPORTANT TO BE THERE, WASN'T IT?ĪNDY INGRAM: HUGE. THIS IS AN OLD PART OF TEMPE, OLD TIME BARS, REMEMBER THE OLD BARS DOWN THERE ON 8TH STREET. TED SIMONS: THE IMPACT OF BEING IN TEMPE. WHAT DO WE DO NEXT? YOU STEP BACK AND THINK WE ARE ON TO SOMETHING HERE. TED SIMONS: WAS THERE AN A HA MOMENT THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL?ĪNDY INGRAM: I THINK IT WAS WHEN WE WERE ARGUING BECAUSE WE WERE TOO BUSY. WHEN THE KITCHEN OPENED AND CHEF ARTHUR WAS MAKING GREAT FOOD AND PEOPLE WERE SAYING, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOUR FOOD IS SO GOOD. ONCE WE BUILT THE KITCHEN, WE OPENED WITH PLYWOOD ON THE BAR AND DIRT ON THE PATIO. I CONCENTRATED ON BEER QUALITY AND FOOD QUALITY AND SERVICE. NO ONE GOES THERE ANYMORE BECAUSE IT'S TOO BUSY. TED SIMONS: WHEN DID YOU KNOW? WE ARE LOOKING AT IT NOW. IT WAS A SALES PITCH TO THE PARENTS, AND IT WORKED. WE HAD THE RESTAURANT FROM THE BEGINNING. WE JUST GOT THE LIVE MUSIC PERMIT 20 YEARS LATER. ![]() TED SIMONS: WHEN YOU MADE THE PITCH, WERE THE EYES WIDE, GLAZED OVER OR YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME? WE COULD PROBABLY DO A RESTAURANT, FULL ENTERTAINMENT, OUTSIDE PATIO. HE SAID I KNOW A GREAT WAREHOUSE YOU CAN GO. CHECK THIS OUT WHEN 4-PEAKS WAS STILL A DREAM. NO, I DON'T THINK WE HAD - WE TALK ABOUT ONE YEAR PLANS AND THREE YEAR PLANS AND FIVE YEAR PLANS NOW. TED SIMONS: WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED THE GOAL WAS WHAT?ĪNDY INGRAM: NOT TO GO TO GRAD SCHOOL. AND IF YOU ARE TRAVELING, WE ARE AT GATE 24. WE HAVE THE ORIGINAL IN NORTH SCOTTSDALE. TED SIMONS: FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT KNOW, 4-PEAKS BREWING COMPANY IS -ĪNDY INGRAM: A KRAFT BREWERY LOCATED IN TEMPE. I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT 20 MINUTES AHEAD OF ME. WE LOVED KRAFT BEER 20 YEARS AGO AND TRIED IT OUT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED. HERE NOW TO TALK ABOUT THE SUCCESS STORY THAT IS 4-PEAKS ARE TWO OF THE FOUNDERS, JIM SCUSSEL AND ANDY INGRAM. THE MUCH-LOVED HOME-GROWN BREWERY RECENTLY SOLD TO ANHEUSIER-BUSCH, EXPANDED TO NEIGHBORING STATES AND BOTTLED ITS FIRST NEW BREW IN EIGHT YEARS. TED SIMONS: TEMPE-BASED 4-PEAKS BREWING COMPANY IS CELEBRATING ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY IN APRIL. ![]() Two of the founders, Jim Scussel and Andy Ingram, will tell us about the brewery and the road that led them to success. The brewery recently expanded to Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California and bottled its first new brew in eight years, Pitchfork Pale Ale.
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