Deb Carey is an artist and entrepreneur. She’s also the public face of Wisconsin’s largest craft brewery, New Glarus Brewing Company, the makers of Spotted Cow. An active participant in political discussions and actions and a mentor to many in the industry, Carey sees a responsibility well beyond making and selling beer.
Earlier this year she deliverd a keynote speech at the 2018 Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and beforehand she took a few minutes with the Brewing Industry Guide to talk about the business of beer, sustainable growth, and how the brewery came up with the best-selling beer in Wisconsin.
CBB // In the twenty-five years since you and your husband [Brewmaster Dan Carey] opened New Glarus, so much has changed in the beer industry in the United States, but you’ve also grown so much, last year making 240,000 barrels of beer. As you’ve grown, have things gotten easier or harder?