Meet Jennifer Febre | Brewery Owner/Idea Girl

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Febre and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After a painful divorce and happy remarriage, I was in the position of coming out of a “work hiatus” during which time I was raising two sons. I have an entrepreneurial spirit, so rather than going back into the 9-5 world, I took advantage of my clean slate and decided to take the plunge with a business of my own. In my former marriage, we had reached a certain financial level that I was not willing to give up on, but to get back there I knew I had to think big. I also realized one of my shortcomings…that I don’t like working solo. So I solicited my 2nd husband, Alastair, to leave his profession and join me in a big endeavor. I tailored my business idea to be one that we would both enjoy, and that involved skillsets that each of us had that would complement one another. Thankfully, this all worked out! We love working together and we’ve created something special that we enjoy and that the community loves.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

My husband and I started a traditional British cask ale: [or real ale] brewery in the heart of industrial Van Nuys, CA! This was quite cheeky and unexpected, but the Brit lovers found us, the community embraced us, and we developed a strong core of supporters. Since then we have branched out to cold, fizzy beer, and even created an additional brand in order to create more offbeat, modern and experimental beers while leaving our original more traditional brand intact. So, it’s this cask ale element that really sets us apart from our “competitors” [we’re all friends in the beer business!] and it’s something I’m very proud of. Another thing that sets us apart is our excellent pizza kitchen, which we added in 2019. We ferment our dough for at least 48 hours, make mozzarella in-house, and make our own delicious in-house desserts.

I got where I am today business-wise because I did not have an option to fail. I believe you need to have some burning motivation, such as survival or even revenge [!] to overcome the inevitable challenges. In my case, both survival and revenge were a factor! Now my motivation is still survival, but also a love for my employees and community that provide the fuel needed to succeed.

Overcoming challenges requires practice going into “problem solving mode,” and the quicker you can do that, the better. I face challenges DAILY, and I have trained my myself to immediately start working on solutions, rather than getting bogged down in a sense of self-pity or panic. This is not always easy, especially for really big challenges like running out of money, but it’s critical to be able to jump into problem-solving mode as soon as possible.

The biggest lessons I’ve learned pertain to lease agreements, licensing, city permits, etc., mostly because I had no experience in those areas, and those areas, if not handled correctly, can cost huge amounts of money. Also, delays and expenses cannot always be helped, and so I’ve had to learn to be patient…as much as possible. Basically, I’ve learned that “hard things are hard” and acknowledging this really helps me and reminds me that not everyone embarks on a path like mine and I should be proud of what we’ve accomplished…some hard things!

What I want the world to know about my brand or story is that it IS possible to create enormous beauty, excellence and community even in the most downtrodden of places, and people WILL gather and support you. And that it’s not about the beer or the pizza…it’s always about the people.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Food-wise: In n Out Burger has to be stop #1. I’m in Sherman Oaks, so I’d likely take them to a couple of local spots such as The Local Peasant and Casa Vega. If I want to show off, maybe go farther afield and make a reservation at Mozza, Republique or Felix Trattoria. On the other end of the spectrum, street tacos or bacon-wrapped hot dogs are a must. Of course LA has a great wealth of food from around the world…really we have one of the great culinary scenes in the world!

Places to check out: Of course we have some great museums and venues…LACMA, Disney Hall, The Hollywood Bowl…all worth a visit. Nothing beats a Dodger game on a beautiful summer evening. But my heart lies in Venice Beach. My grandmother lived at Rose and Lincoln, and I spent every weekend there in my youth, walking down Rose Avenue until I got to the beach and plunged into the cold Pacific to do some bodysurfing with my Dad. I love being near the water, and driving along the coast, either north or south. North I would hit up Malibu…it’s fun to park near the fancy houses and find a beach access point to walk along a quiet beach and pretend you live there :-). From there you can make a stop at Neptune’s Net, or carry on to Ventura, Santa Barbara, etc. Or going south, I love to hit up El Campeon Taqueria in San Juan Capistrano. Visit the mission while you’re down there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Several shoutouts: My husband Alastair for being willing to adventure with me; my kids for helping out with the family biz; my investors for believing in me and helping me when I needed it most; my amazing staff for having great attitudes and being the best staff ever; my patrons for loving the place and making it awesome; my parents [miss them both] who taught me about good food and drink.

Website: macleodale.com

Instagram: instagram.com/macleodale

Twitter: twitter.com/macleodale

Facebook: facebook.com/macleodale

Yelp: yelp.com/biz/macleod-ale-brewing-van-nuys

Other: direct.me/macleodale

Image Credits
Photo of Jennifer behind beer engines: Kevin McIntyre Photography All Other Photos: Amanda Mainguy/A-Z Creative