Ashley Rose Salvitti Oral History Interview, December 3, 2019

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

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti introduces herself and discusses her childhood and family background. She was born in New York but raised largely in Connecticut, where her father lived. She discusses her childhood activities and interests, her relationship with her siblings, and her parents’ professions.

Partial Transcript: So after that, I was ready for something new. So I moved to Portland.

Segment Synopsis: Salvittie discusses her move to Portland, which took place when she was in her early twenties. She began working in the food industry almost immediately as a server. While working in restaurants she developed an interest in Portland’s brewing scene, and made connections with workers at breweries and bars.

Partial Transcript: What, what role did food and drink play in your family when you were growing up?

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti discusses her relationship with the food and beer industries throughout her life. She notes that food was important to her and her family when she was a child, and she feels it’s been valuable to her as a way of expressing herself. She also notes that her father was interested in homebrewing, allowing her to develop an appreciation for and interest in beer at a young age.

Partial Transcript: Okay, Puerto Rico. Back to Puerto Rico...That's right. So that was a very huge moment in my, in my life.

Segment Synopsis:
Salvitti discusses how she first became interested in starting a business involving beer tourism. She notes that she was heavily involved in the brewing scene in Portland at that point, and had noticed that it drew many visitors from outside of Oregon. After taking a trip to Puerto Rico, she was inspired to connect tour guides with the ever more popular beer industry in Portland and found BREWVANA, a company devoted to providing tours showcasing Portland’s beer scene.

Partial Transcript: I am curious about Portland at that time, I think it's an interesting time, I think especially, probably, to reflect on now, it's been a tough year for Portland breweries.

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti describes the brewing scene in Portland in the 2000s. She talks about how beer and brewing experienced a boom in popularity that allowed the market to flourish and inspiring many people to found their own breweries.

Partial Transcript: So I'm. I am curious. At that time what was. Attitude is not the right word, but how were people talking about the breweries that have been here for a long time?

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti discusses some of the most popular breweries in Portland in the 2000s. She talks about what made them successful, the types of beers they made, their relationship with Portland, and the different market strategies they employed.

Partial Transcript: Did you notice the customers changing at that time?

Segment Synopsis:
Salvitti talks about beer, specifically IPA consumers. She notes that in the 2000s a new audience developed as beers and brewing became popular among young people living in urban areas. This audience favored experimentation and new flavor profiles, allowing breweries to experiment more. She also discusses how that audience was drawn to the tourist industry, and how she marketed her own company to them.

Partial Transcript: What about things that didn't go the way that you thought they would go? It's, it's been, I mean, nine years is a long time of learning.

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti describes some of the difficulties that she faced running a tourist industry. Those difficulties included high overhead costs, fluctuating incomes, an uncertain future, and troubles coordinating venues.

Partial Transcript: I did have a question about other people.

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti talks about her relationships with other people in the brewing industry. She mentions many brewers who she had close and collaborative relationships with. She also talks about many of the employees at her own company, including the tour guides, clerical workers, and laborers who she interacted with over the years.

Partial Transcript: So what can you tell me about the jobs that people did?

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti talks about her decision to sell BREWVANA. She explains that the company had been struggling financially for some time prior to the sale, and that it was becoming too draining and stressful for her to run. She talks about how the sale impacted her life, how it reflected the changing conditions in the brewing industry, and how she feels about it now, looking back.

Partial Transcript: No, but it just makes me sad to see things like that just die. You know what I mean? Like not be a future for that.

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti talks about the difficulties of running an independent business in the twenty-first century economy and expresses her frustration that people primarily buy from larger corporations, such as Amazon, rather than supporting local businesses.

Partial Transcript: So, talk about, and not necessarily just the Pink Boot Society specifically, but this support community...I think that's maybe like nine questions in one.

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti talks about her involvement with the Pink Boot Society, an organization of women involved in the brewing industry. She describes her relationship with other women in the group and talks about gender equality in the brewing industry more broadly.

Partial Transcript: What's the question that you wish that people asked you, do you get interviewed a lot and is there like is there something that you want to say?

Segment Synopsis: Salvitti concludes the interview by returning to a few prior subjects and talking about her life currently. She mentions her family, and notes that she’s now working as a doula and a midwife.