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SEASON 2, EPISODE 26 SHOW NOTES
Jen and her husband Paul Higgins are originally from New Jersey. A career opportunity for Paul brought them to Munich in 2003 and Jen kept her IT career on track so they stayed.
In 2018 they founded a small craft beer brewery in the heart of Munich’s brewing district, creating American styled ales. In 2022, they opened a taproom next door to the brewery and have enjoyed meeting locals, expats, craft beer fans and brewers from around the world.
In our conversation we discussed:
- How they expected to stay in Munich ‘A couple of years’ and why they’ve been here for almost 20(!)
- Even though Munich is the beer capital of the world, they missed craft beer and slowly but surely, they pursued their passion to found Higgins Aleworks in 2018.
- The process of establishing a business that involves beer and consumables
- Starting a business as a hobby and leveraging the luxury of time
- The ‘Reinheitsgebot’ and how it impacts beer innovation (or lack thereof)
- A lucky coincidence that has to do with starting a brewery in a bakery
- Controversy! Can vs. Bottles
- How the pandemic actually forced them forward with their business and make strategic partnerships with competitors
- How they found a space for their taproom in Munich’s impossible commercial real estate market
- How they use Google Maps and LinkedIn for marketing