Eve Jeffery
Rupert moved to the area when he was eight and finished school at Mullum High. Chrissy, from the Netherlands, moved to Australia almost 12 years ago. Now the couple live walking distance from their business – Wandana Brewing Co.
They were on track for a grand opening on the Easter long weekend – but COVID-19 extinguished that idea. ‘On the list of potential setbacks in the business plan, “pandemic” was certainly not on it,’ says Rupert.
‘We opened for takeaways in May. Local support was amazing from day one. We could finally open our roller doors as a walk-in venue at the start of June.’
Rupert says he and Chrissy have loved creating a happy place where people can enjoy locally crafted beers, catch up with old friends and meet new ones. ‘We thrive on the community we’re part of.’
Rupert says the craft beer industry is also very supportive. ‘If you have a problem, the first people you turn to is your closest competitor! The industry motto is “us little guys have to stick together”. It’s so refreshing, after having worked in advertising. We can’t think of many other industries where this is the case. We have a rotating Guest Tap in our venue where we invite local breweries to showcase their beers; currently we have Seven Mile’s deliciously refreshing Cali Cream.’
Wandana’s customers are loving the great selection of craft beers, the magical sunsets, the relaxed family vibe, the music and the local food trucks.
Rupert says Wandana is such a young company, the only way is up. ‘We can’t wait for restrictions to be lifted, and have a bunch of really cool things in the works for when it does. Can’t say too much just yet…
‘If you enjoy our beers and would like to have some at your local bottleshop or pub, all you have to do is ask their management to stock it. It really does work. There has arguably never been such a challenging time to start a hospitality business. We would like to say a massive thank you to the locals for their support. Without the amazing collection of regulars coming back week after week, we simply would not be here. They made the countless hours of hard work and stress worth it.
Cheers!’
You can find Wandana Brewing Co. at 20 Manns Road in the Mullum Industrial Estate.
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