Beth Hartwell Oral History Interview

Beth Hartwell was the co-founder and co-owner of Hart Brewing (later Pyramid Brewing) in Kalama, Washington. When it opened in 1984, Hart Brewing was fourth craft brewery to open in Washington State and second-ever to operate in Kalama. Hartwell was also one of the first female brewery owners in the U.S. since Prohibition. In her interview, Hartwell talks about growing up in Southern California, her early interest in food and cooking, meeting her future husband Tom Baune at OSU, her work for Proctor and Gamble in San Francisco and Weyerhaeuser in Longview (WA), starting a grocery store in Seattle and brewery in Kalama, and her life after the brewery was sold in 1989. She talks at length about the process for opening and operating the brewery, her relationship with the larger Portland brewing community, her experiences as a woman in male dominated industries, and how proud she is to see women’s increasing numbers in brewing.