S1 E7: Shawd DeWitt: Soquel Beer Thirty, Watsonville Beer Mule & Felton Trout Farm | OTC

What does it take to turn a life-altering surf injury into one of Santa Cruz County's favorite hospitality brands? Santa Cruz local and entrepreneur Shawd DeWitt shares his path from Rainbow Fin Company to Beer Thirty in Soquel, Beer Mule in Watsonville and the rebirth of the Trout Farm Inn in Felton. Shawd grew up in La Selva Beach, where his parents started Rainbow Fin Company. After he broke his neck surfing, his wife Kym saw a craft beer bar in a magazine and said, "We need to do this." They flew to Portland to study the nation's top beer bars, sold almost everything and opened Beer Thirty in March 2014. The early lesson: customers didn't want obscure Belgians and sours, they wanted a good cold beer, so they let sales, not ego, shape the tap list. We also talk about why Soquel checked every box (a sunny beer garden right off the freeway), running 31 taps at Beer Thirty and 38 at Beer Mule, working with Watsonville police on responsible service, and transforming the Trout Farm Inn's pool deck with cabanas, a full bar, Sunday yoga and DJs. Shawd also opens up about surf lineup etiquette in Santa Cruz, mountain biking, getting ready to be a grandparent and the question everyone asks: what's happening with the Soquel Avenue location. Chapters 0:00 Welcome and meet Shawd DeWitt 1:13 Santa Cruz roots and Rainbow Fin Company 2:31 High standards and Jerry's first boss 5:23 Customer service first, money second 6:03 Online reviews: constructive, not destructive 6:45 A surfing injury sparks the Beer Thirty idea 7:34 The Portland research trip 8:54 Selling everything to go all in 10:27 Opening fast and hiring slow 11:20 Why Soquel: beer garden, sunshine and freeway access 13:05 Customers just wanted a good cold beer 15:08 Letting beer sales guide the tap list 16:41 Beer Thirty since 2014 and Beer Mule in Watsonville 18:31 31 taps, 38 taps and the partnership behind them 20:12 Food at Beer Thirty and Beer Mule 21:52 Trout Farm memories and the fire 22:37 Buying the Trout Farm Inn and the Soquel Avenue project 23:44 Pool deck, cabanas and a resort feel in the redwoods 25:06 Reservations, service and closing-time songs 26:35 Sunday yoga and DJs 27:08 Surfing, lineup etiquette and mountain biking 29:53 What's next: becoming grandparents 30:17 Soquel Avenue update and how to reach the hosts 🍺 Visit Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House 📍 2504 S Main St, Soquel 📞 (831) 477-9967 🌐 beerthirtysantacruz.com 📸 Instagram: @beerthirtysantacruz 🫏 Visit Beer Mule Bottle Shop + Pour House 📍 45 Aviation Way, Watsonville 📞 (831) 254-9789 🌐 kickassbeer.com 📸 Instagram: @thebeermule 🌲 Visit the Trout Farm Inn 📍 7701 East Zayante Rd, Felton 📞 (831) 854-3009 🌐 thetroutfarm.com 📸 Instagram: @troutfarminn Hosted by Brandi Jones (Keller Williams Thrive), Ryan Buckholdt (CrossCountry Mortgage) and Jerry Seagraves (Seagraves Insurance). If you love craft beer, local small businesses and a sunny afternoon in a Santa Cruz beer garden, subscribe and share this with a friend who needs a new favorite spot. #SantaCruz #OwningTheCoast #Soquel #Watsonville #Felton #BeerThirty #BeerMule #TroutFarmInn #CraftBeer #SantaCruzEats #SmallBusiness Brandi Jones | REALTOR® | KW Thrive Santa Cruz 🏡 Real estate strategy + aligned decisions for your next chapter. Reach out anytime if real estate is part of your next chapter. 📞 (831) 588-5145 🌐 brandijonesrealtor.com 📍 Santa Cruz • Monterey Bay • Santa Clara County DRE# 01385191