Barbara Stone Oral History Interview, December 9, 2020

Partial Transcript: Okay. So we're going to do an oral history today, Barbara. Go ahead and introduce yourself and then we'll do the the permissions questions.

Segment Synopsis: Stone introduces herself and describes her background. She was born and raised in Oregon, where her family originally settled in the nineteenth century. She grew up in a tight-knit family, and spent much of her childhood playing her brothers. Her parents traveled often when she was young, and she was able to visit many new countries as a child.

Partial Transcript: So what about scholastically? What are some of the things that were interesting to you in school? What subjects or projects that you remember being really into?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about some of her academic interests while she was in school. She notes that she was generally interested in chemistry and the sciences, although she did not dislike humanities courses. She was highly social while in school, and enjoyed cultivating a large friend group.

Partial Transcript: So what, what were you, what did you think you wanted to do?

Segment Synopsis: Stone notes that she didn’t have a strong or consistent plan of what she wanted to do when she grew up while she was a child. She briefly was interested in law enforcement, but ultimately changed that plan. Generally speaking, her plans revolved around the outdoors, and she was interested in participating in work that would allow her to spend a lot of her life in nature.

Partial Transcript: So did your parents still travel? Did they? Did they catch the international travel bug?

Segment Synopsis: Stone returns to the travels she and her family went on when she was young, and she talks about some of her memories of visiting other countries. She specifically focuses on her memories of Japan, talking about the food, music, and other cultural components she remembers of Japan in the late twentieth century.

Partial Transcript: What was Portland like then? So that would have been like mid to late nineties...That's an interesting time in Portland.

Segment Synopsis: Stone describes settling in Portland and her memories of the city in the 1990s. She notes that it was a popular destination for young people, and had a large art and music scene. Additionally, it had a reputation as a good beer city, a part of Portland culture that Stone became highly involved in.

Partial Transcript: So what, what attracted you to food and drink? Was it something that had been part of your upbringing, or how did you start getting into the the food and beverage and ingredients industries?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about how she became interested in and ultimately began working in the food industry. She asserts that her travels as a child gave her a great appreciation for food and its impacts on different cultures. She became interested in that in her own life, causing her to seek out work in food services in Portland.

Partial Transcript: Were there differences in who was part of each of those companies?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about some of the different companies and people she worked with while beginning her career in the food and beverage industry. She discusses a few different jobs and provides a variety of different anecdotes, all of which revolve around her learning more about the food and alcohol industries in Portland.

Partial Transcript: How did you, how did you learn?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about how she began to learn mroe about brewing. She explains that she was fortunate and was able to work with many highly talented mentors, all of whom were willing to pass on their knowledge of the craft to her. She also states that she largely worked in management, and was not a brewmaster herself, so she had to learn a great deal about brewing but the learning curve was not as steep as it could have been.

Partial Transcript: What stands out to you? What was was different and unique about Eugene, Oregon?

Segment Synopsis: When discussing beer culture in Eugene, Oregon, Stone emphasizes that the people in that city are willing to try new things, creating a sense of openness and creativity for brewmasters. Additionally she states that there’s a strong sense of community among the brewers themselves as well as their customers, leading to a friendly and collaborative production environment.

Partial Transcript: What was the the company like then and how did you learn about the company?

Segment Synopsis: Stone begins to discuss her role at John I. Haas Inc., or Haas, where she continues to work now. She explains that she began working there in a management position where she oversaw the production and creation of beer batches. She talks about her favorite aspects of the job and how it differed from previous roles she had taken on.

Partial Transcript: So who was doing what…Like what were, like who was working where and did that change as the company changed?

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses some of her colleagues in the brewing industry. She talks about the different people who fulfill different roles in the brewery, including te brewmasters, the facility workers, the marketers, and management.

Partial Transcript: Were there other people in similar positions at different breweries that you started connecting with and learning about other breweries?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about collaboration within the brewing industry. She discusses other workers who fill similar roles as her in other breweries and how she has been able to collaborate with and learn from them over the years.

Partial Transcript: You mentioned the fact that this is a very old company. How did you learn about the history of the company and how did you feel like you understood…like the culture or the the kind of story of hops in the west?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about her interest in the history of hops and brewing in the Pacific Northwest. She explains that the Pacific Northwest, especially Oregon, has long been a popular place to grow hops. Because of this, it has developed its own beer subculture that has ultimately impacted brewing throughout the world. She also expresses frustration with the way that Oregon history is taught in schools, stating that it is whitewashed and doesn’t adequately address historical injustices.

Partial Transcript: So what what was the the switch from, like, managing products to selling products?

Segment Synopsis: Stone discusses making the switch from management to marketing and how that has impacted her career. She explains her reasoning behind the switch and some of the major differences that it has had in her day-to-day work life.

Partial Transcript: Before everything went to hell and you were traveling a lot, and traveling outside of of Oregon to do this job, what are some of the things that you noticed regionally were different?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about the regional differences of brewing in the U.S. She notes that the most obvious difference is that different brewing regions use different ingredients. Additionally, certains regions have strong preferences for some types of beer over others. For example, she notes that craft beers are extremely popular in the Pacific Northwest, and have remained so over decades.

Partial Transcript: But I am curious, like, what, from an observational standpoint, like do you feel like there is progress…has that changed since you've been in the field now?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about diversity and inclusion within the brewing industry and how that has changed over the course of her career. She notes that within Oregonian brewing there is limited ethnic diversity, but increasingly over time women have been able to play a bigger role in the field. She states that this is partially reflective of Oregon’s population more broadly and partially reflective of the brewing industry’s approach to diversity.

Partial Transcript: What, what makes an inclusive space to you?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about how the brewing industry can work on creating spaces in which all people are comfortable. She references professional societies, namely the Pink Boot Society, that are dedicated to helping women in the field find community and states that those organizations have been helpful to her.

Partial Transcript: What do you see? What has this time been like for you? And have you have you been able to have any time for reflection on how things might change?

Segment Synopsis: Stone talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the brewing industry at large and how it has impacted her personally. She notes that many breweries struggled to avoid bankruptcy during the pandemic as sales plummeted. She also notes that she herself was working from home the entire time, which posed a variety of challenges. Stone states that she is unsure how this will change the brewing industry, but that she is interested in seeing how things will develop.

Partial Transcript: So what? What did you think I would ask you that I didn't ask you? Is there anything that you thought we would talk about that we haven't yet talked about?

Segment Synopsis: Stone and the interviewer conclude the conversation and say goodbye.