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Tom and Jan Peters are not new to running a family business. In fact, they have some 30 years of experience ,in six companies ranging from importing European cabinetry to building custom homes in Northern Colorado.
Now they're brewing beer.
"The types of businesses we pick, we can actually produce something that you can see someone enjoy," said Jan Peters, who along with her husband took over Fort Collins Brewery in 2004. Since then, many enthusiasts throughout the region and state have quaffed many a crafted brew with such catchy names as Major Tom's Pomegranate Wheat, Rocky Mountain IPA, Kidd Black Lager, Z Lager, Retro Red and Chocolate Stout.
For the Peterses, the appeal of Fort Collins Brewery was its established product. "It seemed like the product part of it was in place. What it needed was business management," Jan Peters said.
She admits they should have done a little more research upfront on such a competitive industry. "It has been a huge struggle because of the other microbrewers in town. Adding to the struggle is, in a startup brewery, the time frame of becoming profitable is five to seven years. It's difficult to compete where other breweries are seated in terms of price. What we need is volume to be extremely competitive."
But...