Lives Reimagined: Jill Pavlak and Deb Loch Brew Beer to Bring People Together

By Bev Bachel

“Will we regret this if we don’t do it?”

For Jill Pavlak and Deb Loch, the answer was yes, which is how the two women came to launch Urban Growler, Minnesota’s first women-owned and –operated craft brewery. It opened in 2014 with one goal

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in mind: to bring people together through beer.

Rewind six years. Jill was a straight-commission salesperson, working long hours. “I was always taking calls from customers—late at night, on the weekend and on vacation,” says Jill. “I was driving over 34,000 miles a year and started to feel like, ‘What am I doing this for?’ Yes, the money was good, but I never felt like I could unplug and the thought of putting down my cell phone or not getting back to customers the moment they sent me an email or text freaked me out.”

Then one day, when Jill and Deb were enjoying breakfast with a friend they admire, the friend asked what turned out to be a life-changing question: “What if you quit your job?”

“I looked at her like she was insane, but she continued,” says Jill. “She said, ‘Pretend there are no worries about mortgages or car payments or anything like that, and imagine quitting your job.’ And just like that, it was like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders. I started talking, and my friend and Deb both said that I physically transformed right before their eyes.”

That’s when Jill started thinking seriously about what her life would be like if she quit her job. “Oh my God, I would bike, I would visit my mom, I would walk my dog,” recalls Jill. “They were simple things, but just thinking about them made me happy.”

Seeing that, Deb eventually persuaded Jill to quit. “There was really no good reason not to,” says Jill. “We weren’t rich, but we were fine financially.” That gave the women the opportunity to think more about their dream of starting their own business. Jill was advocating for a restaurant, Deb, a passionate home brewer, for a brewery. They set about getting experience.

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Jill took a part-time, minimum-wage job at a nearby restaurant; she giggled on her way home from the interview because she was so excited about the opportunity. A few years later, Deb took a leave of absence from her job as a biomedical engineer and began commuting eight hours round trip each weekend to Minocqua Brewing Company in Minocqua, Wisc., where she worked as an assistant brewer, also a minimum wage job.

“She lived in a place that smelled like cat urine, and she often worked 10-hour days covered in yeast, yet she was happy as a clam,” says Jill.

Deb’s experience at the brewery and Jill’s at the restaurant made it clear what they wanted to do next: open a taproom that serves food. They continued getting experience. Jill worked in restaurants, while Deb completed the Master Brewers Program at University of California-Davis, where she was recognized as a Diploma Brewer by the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

Deb’s credentials combined with their joint experience helped them secure a bank loan as well as $500,000 from investors, money they’ve put to good use developing their St. Paul taproom. They serve traditional beers, but Deb also gets creative with the Plow to Pint series, which features local ingredients and the farmers who produce them. Jill’s engaging personality also plays an important role, as does the eclectic food menu created to go with Urban Growler’s assortment of beer.

This week AARP in the Twin Cities kicks off their AARP On Tap brewery tour with a stop at Urban Gowler, 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul, on Wednesday Sept. 30, from 5-7 p.m.   Bring a nonperishable food item and join AARP MN and Second Harvest Heartland in the fight against hunger in local 50+ communities and receive a free beer, a tour of the brewery and the opportunity to learn more about fun and educational AARP events happening here in the Twin Cities.  Sign up Today!

Other AARP On Tap Events

• Tuesday Oct. 13th from 5 - 7 p.m. at Surly Brewing. RSVP
• Thursday Oct. 22nd from 5 - 7 p.m. at Tin Whiskers. RSVP

 

Freelance writer Bev Bachel is the author of What Do You Really Want? How to Set a Goal and Go For It! A Guide for Teens.