Ben Edmunds Oral History Interview, December 3, 2020

Partial Transcript: Okay. Good morning. Go ahead and introduce yourself. I forgot to say that's the way we start it.

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds introduces himself and provides some background information about his life. He was born and raised in southeastern Michigan, where his parents worked as lawyers. He had one younger brother, who he says he spent a lot of time with while growing up. He notes that he, and the other members of his family, enjoyed sports, and that his favorite academic subjects were literature and Spanish.

Partial Transcript: Did you, were you close enough to Detroit that you went into Detroit?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about his childhood memories of Detroit, Michigan. He notes that his mother worked at a courthouse downtown, so he would often travel into the city with her. He talks about the political and social conditions of Detroit as he was growing up and discusses how things have changed since he was young.

Partial Transcript: So what led you to Yale?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds attended Yale to pursue an undergraduate degree. He explains why he chose to attend Yale and describes his experience there. He majored in Spanish while also taking courses in other disciplines. Edmunds contrasts the social milieu at Yale with the one he grew up around, and talks about the other students he was friends with.

Partial Transcript: So when you were in school, right, you worked for New Haven public schools...I'm curious about what that work was like.

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about his interest in working as an educator, an interest that he began to pursue while in college. He provides anecdotes about working as a substitute teacher and volunteer educator at New Haven public schools while an undergraduate, and describes some of his motivations.

Partial Transcript: So as you were thinking about graduation, thinking about heading to the end of your time at Yale, what did you think your next step would be? And what, at that point, did you imagine yourself doing as a post-college career?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds explains that after college he did not know what he wanted to do, and ended up moving to Colorado largely by chance. While there he worked as an educator teaching Spanish and directing outdoor excursions. He also worked as a camp counselor, and describes some of the camps he worked at.

Partial Transcript: How did you make the decision that led you to Portland?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about moving to Portland in the 1990s. He notes that he had friends who lived in the area and that he wanted to experience something new, away from Colorado. He also states that he had a growing interest in beer and the brewing industry at the time, which influenced his decision about where to move.

Partial Transcript: How did you learn how to homebrew?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds recalls how he first began homebrewing. He began with a friend, and quickly became passionate about it. He describes how he acquired ingredients at the time and how homebrewing as a hobby functioned before the internet and the mass availability of different hops. He notes that homebrewers largely had to source from local ingredients, which meant that different areas became known for producing beers with particular flavor profiles.

Partial Transcript: I'm curious to have you say something about how brew pubs in different places were different, and what were those experiences like, and what was appealing to you and what was not appealing to you?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about his memories of bars and pubs from his early twenties. He notes that most of the bars he went to were small, local organizations, and that he enjoyed the fact that they felt connected to their communities.

Partial Transcript: So you moved to Portland. What was Portland like in 2008?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about Portland in the early 2000s. He notes that rent was relatively affordable at the time, making it a popular place for young people to live. The affordability also meant that many people were able to start new businesses, which contributed to the boom in breweries.

Partial Transcript: What about breweries, brew pubs, restaurants that you remember visiting in the early aughts?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about breweries in Portland in the early 2000s. He notes that there was a dramatic increase in the number of breweries at the time, and that many small organizations were able to create new beers. He talks about some of his favorite breweries and bars, and recalls the most popular flavor profiles of the time.

Partial Transcript: How'd you get hooked up with Upright?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds recalls the beginnings of his career at Upright Brewing. He discusses the first responsibilities he had while working there, some of the early projects he worked on, and some of the coworkers he had and connections he made.

Partial Transcript: So how did you decide to go to Siebel as opposed to like going to UC Davis or going to OSU?

Segment Synopsis: In order to further pursue a career in brewing, Edmunds enrolled in the Siebel Institute of Technology to study the craft. He had friends who attended SIT, which influenced his decision. He describes some of the classes he took, noting that the education he received there helped him to understand the different machines and technologies used in the brewing process.

Partial Transcript: How did you end up at Brookside? What was the origin story there?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds then discusses his career at Breakside Brewing. He explains that he joined the company right after it was founded. The production facility had yet to be fully completed, allowing Edmunds to contribute to the decision making process in terms of how the brewery would be structured.

Partial Transcript: What was your input or what was it like to decide how to build a brewery like that?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds describes the early process of establishing a new brewery, including building the production facility, investing in advertising, reaching out to sellers, and hiring new people.

Partial Transcript: How did you, as a company and maybe you as a person too, how did you decide what to make?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds describes the process of developing new beers. He notes that IPAs, specifically “hoppy reds” were popular at the time Breakside Brewing was founded, leading them to focus on producing that style of beer. He also talks about the first Irish stouts, American stouts, and wheat beers that Breakside produced.

Partial Transcript: How did you get feedback?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds notes that breweries often interpret market sales as feedback, meaning if a beer sold well that the consumer response was positive, and if it sold poorly that the consumer response was negative. He also notes that having a tasting room or a similar outward facing facility in which employees and customers could interact helped the brewery to get feedback.

Partial Transcript: So you, relatively quickly, started winning lots of awards. What was the impact of winning awards early on?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about awards in the brewing industry and his experience of winning a variety of brewing awards after Breakside Brewing was founded. He notes that while it helped Breakside to gain a positive reputation within the brewing industry, it didn’t have a large impact on sales.

Partial Transcript: How did that expansion impact what we were talking about...how does expansion impact a business, besides the obvious, like you have more space?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about expanding Breakside Brewery. He notes that expanding the production facilities allowed the company to produce more beers, and different varieties of beers. It also allowed them to be more experimental, as they could develop new flavor profiles while still producing popular IPAs at the same time. He also talks about hiring new employees, noting that creating a positive work environment and collaborative work culture was important to the success of Breakside.

Partial Transcript: How do you think about mentoring? How do you think about, now, ten years in, someone who has the education and the experience...How do you pay it forward?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds discusses the importance of older brewers serving as mentors to those new to the industry and passing on their knowledge. He notes that he feels it is his responsibility to help those who work at Breakside achieve their goals, and that collaboration can help with that. He also discusses his work in the Oregon Brewers Guild, noting that professional associations can help brewers collaborate and share their knowledge, improving the industry.

Partial Transcript: What do you think the industry needs now?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds explains that he feels breweries need to be more responsible and treat their employees better. He also feels that smaller breweries that treat their employees well ought to be supported by the broader industry.

Partial Transcript: You have been interviewed a lot. What do you not get asked in interviews that you wish people would ask you? What do you want people to know about you?

Segment Synopsis: Edmunds talks about changes in the brewing industry in recent years, including the impacts of Covid-19 and wildfires. He also describes his personal definition of success, and thanks the interviewer for her time.