Nigel Francisco Oral History Interview, February 4, 2021

Partial Transcript: Okay, So go ahead and introduce yourself.

Segment Synopsis: Nigel Francisco introduces himself and offers some background information about his life. He was born and raised in Eugene, Oregon. His mom originally moved to Oregon from the East Coast, and his father was originally from the South. He discusses how his parents met and how they made the decision to move to Oregon.

Partial Transcript: So what did you would you like to do when you were growing up?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about his childhood interests and hobbies. He was active as a child, and recalls that he enjoyed hiking, snowboarding, and mountain biking. He also offers some anecdotes about family vacations, noting that his family traveled to the East Coast to visit his parents’ relatives. Whn discussing his academic interests, Francisco notes that he especially enjoyed band class.

Partial Transcript: So who else? Who was who was in high school with you? What do you remember?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about his memories of high school and the friends and classmates he had during that time of his life, specifically Jimmy Floyd, who works in the brewing industry with Francisco.

Partial Transcript: So what about when you went to flight school?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about his decision to attend flight school and his experiences while there. He notes that it seemed like a reasonable alternative to college, and that he thought being a pilot would be an exciting career option. He describes his parents’ and friends’ reactions to his enrollment in flight school, which was largely positive. He also notes that while enrolled in flight school, he continued to work as a paper boy in Eugene to earn money.

Partial Transcript: Did you always want to live in Eugene? Did you think about moving to a different place? Was that something that was attractive to you, or was Eugene the place where you knew you wanted to be?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about deciding to return to Eugene as an adult. He states that it wasn’t his plan. After obtaining his pilot’s license, he enjoyed traveling and exploring new areas, and planned to live somewhere away from Oregon.

Partial Transcript: Was it something that you talked about as a family? Like, was was there, you know, having having mixed race parents?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about growing up biracial in Oregon. He explains that his mother was black and that his father was white. Francisco notes that Oregon is a majority white state, and that he felt he often stood out in school because of his ethnic background. He talks about how his ethnic background impacted himself and his brother as they were growing up, and how he feels about his heritage.

Partial Transcript: What was it like to be a pilot?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco discusses his career as a pilot. He explains that he began working as a pilot shortly before an economic downturn that led to many pilots getting laid off. He felt his job position was precarious, but enjoyed the work itself. He was first hired by Horizon Air and worked there for a few years before leaving when he obtained a college degree after the 2008 recession.

Partial Transcript: So you went to Northwest Christian College, which I have discovered is now Bush?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco discusses his college career at Northwest Christian College. He studied business and pursued and MBA. He recalls the different classes he took and what it was like attending college while working as a pilot.

Partial Transcript: Were you into wine? Were you into the, like, the alcohol industry and the food and alcohol industry?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about his first introductions to the food and alcohol industries. He states that he had very limited exposure to either industry until he began pursuing his MBA, at which point he became interested in restaurants and breweries as businesses. He began exploring craft beers, which ultimately led to his interest in working in the brewing industry.

Partial Transcript: What was the moment when you thought, I want to actually do this as a job?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about his early exposure to the brewing industry. He had friends who worked for different Portland breweries and discusses potential career options with them. He was initially interested in management due to his business studies, but considered working as a brewmaster as well.

Partial Transcript: So how did you learn about the beer business, slash, is the beer business different from other business?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco discusses his first job in the brewing industry. He notes that he and a few other friends decided to found Ninkasi Brewing. He talks about the experience of starting a brewery, and the different struggles and successes that accompanied it.

Partial Transcript: I'm curious to have you reflect on points in the company that were, like, pivot points. Are there, are there markers in the the history of the company that you point to like?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about the development of Ninkasi Brewing and some of the pivotal moments in the history of the company. He mentions different beers they produced, the employees who worked there, and the production facilities. He goes into detail about the process of selling products to retailers and the importance of developing a positive reputation among consumers.

Partial Transcript: How is it different? Beer and wine?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco discusses his move from the beer industry to the wine industry, and notes the differences between the two environments. He explains that wine takes much longer to develop and age, meaning that there is less freedom for experimentation and more planning required.

Partial Transcript: Do you get called on by people to talk about being a man of color and brewing?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco talks about his experience as a biracial man in the brewing industry. He notes that the industry is majority white, although over the course of his career it has become more diverse.

Partial Transcript: Well, and I, I've heard from people, too, that the the medium sized brewery or the successful regional brewery is able to weather this more. Does that feel true to you?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco discusses operating a medium sized, regional brewery. He notes that many regional breweries find it difficult to recoup their costs, and many are bought out by larger companies. He briefly discusses the impacts of Covid-19 on the brewing industry and how regional breweries have been able to respond to the difficulties imposed by the pandemic.

Partial Transcript: Have you done, have you been teaching or have you taught online?

Segment Synopsis: Francisco concludes the interview by speaking briefly about some of his work teaching. He is a lecturer at the University of Oregon in the business department; he teaches students about running a business in Oregon.