Spur of the moment proposition
Some businesses begin life with an iron-clad business plan, all dotted i’s and crossed t’s, with very little left to chance. But, if recent history has taught us anything, it’s that we must be ready to adjust quickly to circumstances. The Daylesford Brewing Company is an excellent case study in how to do just that.
Owned by husband-and-wife team of Dave Gill and Jess Holmes, Daylesford Brewing Company started life as a kind of spur-of-the-moment proposition. Jess, an interior designer who grew up in Daylesford and Dave, an environmental scientist with a side interest in brewing beer, were visiting the town at a time they were contemplating a life change. Jess had always wanted to do a B&B in the region and Dave was looking to take his interest in classic brewing further.
“As we were leaving town after that visit we saw a house for sale,” says Dave. “We looked at it online on the Monday, bought it on the Wednesday and soon after we moved up and started renovating the house to turn it into a guest house while I started chipping away at the beer side of things.”
They launched their beer label in 2015 in between renovating the house and working other jobs in order to help fund their plan, which had expanded to include turning a former hotel site in the centre of town into a brewery, accommodation and a restaurant venue. They were getting ready to launch a serious push into wholesaling their beer – a core range of classic styles that included a pale ale, golden ale, porter and a lager – when the pandemic hit.
The larger renovation plan immediately went on hold and they decided to concentrate on a smaller venue as an interim project which gave them some new ideas.
“Jess is brilliant at making these light, welcoming spaces and didn’t want ours to be all corrugated iron and stainless steel,” says Dave. “Rather than a brewery with a taproom we wanted to be a venue with good food and great atmosphere that happened to have a brewery attached.”
The Daylesford Brewing Co Restaurant and Bar is now well-established on Vincent Street. It has a reputation for exceptional chicken burgers and cheeseburgers, but that’s recently been augmented by a wider range of dishes like kangaroo served with a reduction made with their porter, wagyu steaks, cauliflower steaks and house pickled vegetables flavoured with hops they grow themselves. It’s beer-friendly food but for the non-beer drinkers wanting to dine out, there’s an excellent wine list highlighting local labels, an impressive range of gin and whisky and cocktails that attract a loyal following.
Wholesaling their beer hasn’t been forgotten either. All their classic beers, plus some more experimental brews – a Raspberry Sour and a Black IPA, for example – are not only available on tap in their restaurant but in cans selling locally and in Melbourne.
The plan for the larger project is in play too though, in true DBC style, has been adjusted and changed. The accommodation will become a bigger component with the brewery a part of the project rather than its focus.
“We’re still tapping into Daylesford’s goldrush history with the brewing but we also love the dining scene in town and want to be an integral part of that,” says Dave.
But, as has proved successful for the couple in recent, challenging, years, nothing in the business plan is written in stone. Excellent beer, food and design will always be a part of the mix but, as ever, they’ll offer it in a way that suits the times