Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Juaire.
Hi Matthew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
As a team, we each generally fell into loving craft beer at different times, places and ways. But the path led us together and to build Bay Cannon Beer Company here in historic West Tampa. It’s been a challenging first 16 months, but we’re still here and West Tampa continues to embrace us as the neighborhood begins its renaissance.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
There is no smooth road to our business. Hard work, problem-solving, and perseverance are keys. A life lesson, really. We’ve certainly been challenged with awareness as there aren’t many consumer-facing/hospitality options yet on the Main St. Corridor. That’s coming but not yet and it’s taking some time for various reasons. Covid, of course then, was the large hammer. It stunted our growth significantly and forced us to assess our business completely opposite of how the business plan was laid out. We’ve continued fighting and figuring it out the best we can.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bay Cannon Beer Company?
We are a variation of a brewpub. We are a full brewery with on-site manufacturing and we have a restaurant partner who runs the restaurant. We serve on-premise, sell off-premise and now we distribute to bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. We specialize in making fresh, small-batch beers for sale here and elsewhere, and we offer a great eating and drinking experience on-site with our food partner Guava Grill. So far, insomuch as we can say after a short time, we are known for our Hazy IPA called Xander and for being the first brewery in West Tampa in over 80 years. Probably most proud of the quality of product behind beautiful “Old Florida” branding. Joe Simmons, Co-Founder and Head Brewer, makes brilliant beers, and it feels like we’ve been able to pair those flavors with a look and feel seamless. The taproom interior is a beautiful mix of old (120-year-old building), industrial, and floral/colorful. We offer Weekend brunches. We serve wine, cider, mead, alcohol slushies, as well as our house-made beers.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Introduction to FSU football. My dad was a grad student at FSU in 1985-1987, and it was then as a six, seven-year-old that I got to experience an event at that scale. It helped drive my passion for football.
Contact Info:
- Website: baycannon.com
- Instagram: @baycannonbeer
- Facebook: @baycannonbeer
- Twitter: @baycannonbeer
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