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Episode 52: Dancing Grain - From Field to Glass

Welcome to Blue Collar StartUp, the podcast!
Our Mission is Simple: To facilitate the growth and development of Blue Collar businesses. We will showcase REAL Blue Collar businesses in interviews, and use these stories to help educate and empower the next generation of trades workers to become Blue Collar business owners.

In this episode, our hosts Mike Nelson and Derek Foster interview Rachel McDermott, the second-generation proprietor of Dancing Grain Farm Brewery!

Dancing Grain runs a special operation - fully family-owned, they source every ingredient that goes into their brews at their own farm, without using any pesticides... This is as Blue Collar as it gets! Listen to this episode to hear their incredible story - recorded on site!

00:15 - “On the Farm” with Mike Nelson: Bokashi Greens

01:38 - Mushrooms Will Save the World!

03:42 - The Show Begins: An Introduction to Dancing Grain’s Own Rachel

05:15 - Let’s Go to the Hop

06:16 - Wild vs. Domesticated Hops

09:29 - Anatomy of a Brew

11:49 - Dog Attack!

12:26 - Sheep Yield

13:25 - Sourcing Every Single Ingredient!

15:05 - A Pesticide-Free Operation

21:15 - The First Generation’s Story

25:14 - Finding Her Way Back Home

27:53 - Building a Brewery: It Takes Serious Skill!

30:45 - Knitting Together the Supply Chain

34:12 - The Name “Dancing Grain”

35:05 - April 8th: Total Dankness Makes its Debut

37:18 - Bar-ley Hopping

39:07 - There is No Day-to-Day

40:26 - Tiny Farms… Prop Up a Big Society

41:56 - Something Very Special

43:51 - Doing Better Than the Farmers’ Markets

44:39 - Do Something You LOVE

48:24 - How to Get in Touch: dancinggrain.com

49:00 - Closing Remarks


Episode

Details

  • Interviewers

    Mike Nelson & Derek Foster

  • Guests

    Rachel McDermott

  • Runtime

    49 Minutes, 35 Seconds

  • Air Date

    April 1st, 2024