quick take
In this week’s Santa Cruz County Business News, Jessica M. Pasco reports on the closing of Brew Cruise, a popular brewery tour business, and the City of Santa Cruz’s search for a tenant for new retail/restaurant space at 822 Pacific Avenue. I am doing it.
Every week, we take a closer look at the movers and shakers, industry growth and what’s really driving the Santa Cruz County economy. Every Wednesday I spotlight some of the biggest areas of opportunity, focusing on the latest in regional development and all things supporting the region’s business scene.
Have an idea? Send it to news@lookoutlocal.com with “Business News” in the subject line.
Last call to Brew Cruise
After 10 years and nearly 2,000 tours, Brew Cruise has put on the brakes and owner Annie Wolf Pautsch is preparing for its final scheduled tour. Wolf Pautsch has quickly become an icon in Santa Cruz, driving both tourists and locals from brewery to brewery in her vintage school bus, but now she’s ready for a change. is completed.
“At least while I was in their care, I felt like I knew when all good things were going to end,” Wolf Pautsch said of his decision to close down. “I’m moving on and trying another adventure. It’s been a great 10 years.”
Wolff Pautsch started Brew Cruz shortly after moving from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, where she spent much of her childhood and young adulthood. As craft beer brewing was starting to boom locally, she saw an opportunity to promote local breweries and share her love of craft beer with the community in a new way. Part of her inspiration comes from a now-defunct tour business in Boulder, Colorado called Banjo Billy’s Bus Tours. She found a decommissioned 1989 Thomas International School bus that served as the band’s tour bus, spent seven months renovating it with new upholstery and pine floors, and named it after her grandmother, Betty Jane. I named it. She continued down the road, meeting with local brewers and building relationships until she officially launched Brew Cruz in July 2014.
From birthday parties to anniversaries to team-building events and other excursions, Wolf Pautsch led charter tours of local breweries, but ended up having to hire an extra driver. It was. In 2018, Brew Cruise added a second vehicle to its fleet, a 1964 Volkswagen bus named Slowboy. By 2019, Brew Cruise was conducting as many as five tours a week, and Wolf Pautsch was looking to expand his tours in South County by adding a third vehicle.
The pandemic forced a nearly two-year hiatus for business, and while customers returned as soon as Brew Cruise was back in action, business has changed markedly. Not only were some local breweries closing, but demand was also changing. In recent years, brewery tours have accounted for about half of Wolf Pautsch’s business, and more and more people are hiring Brew Cruise for private events, such as chauffeuring wedding guests to and from the venue. . The decision to close was not due to a lack of customer interest. Rather, Wolf Pautsch is ready for the next, as yet undetermined step. She plans to hold a farewell party for Brew Cruise in the near future.
Read the full text here.
ICYMI: Neighbors challenge permission for Wodehouse music.
In other local beer news, Woodhouse Blending & Brewing faces an appeal against its live music permit. Santa Cruz city officials granted Woodhouse a license to host live events last month after a year of efforts to get the OK. Now, neighbors planning an eventual residential development near the Madrone Avenue business claim the noise will harm their plans. The City Council is scheduled to hear the appeal next month, Lily Belli reports.
Ch-ch-changes: openings, closings, and other developments
New Vice Chairman of the Board of Santa Cruz County Bank: Kurt J. Gornick currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Santa Cruz County Bank and its parent company, West Coast Community Bancorp, and is a former executive director of Scheid Vineyards. Chief Operating Officer. Current co-owner of Rodnick Farm, a vineyard in Monterey County. He was also a founding director and chairman of the board of First Capital Bank, which merged with Santa Cruz County Bank. RFP launch for new Pacific Station South project: Santa Cruz city officials are seeking proposals from qualified companies to lease new retail/restaurant space at 822 Pacific Avenue. The space is located on the ground floor of the city’s Pacific Station South project. The proposal is scheduled for initial review on December 1st. Details and submission instructions are available on the City’s Procurement Portal.
Have a hire, promotion, or termination to report? Send it to news@lookoutlocal.com with the subject line “Career Change.”
If you look at the numbers
$4.1 billion: That’s how much Halloween candy is expected to be spent in the U.S. this year, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That’s nearly double what was spent 10 years ago, and each household will spend about $30.89 on Halloween candy. Lookout Job Board Latest Information
Want more? Check out all job openings on our job board.
employment? Post your job now!
save date
Wednesday, October 30th: Santa Cruz Works will host the incoming CEO Works Luncheon with Bill Underwood, CEO and Founder of Catalyst Consulting Team. He explains how leaders can avoid friction as they scale their business. The event will be held at productOps’ offices located at 110 Cooper St., No. 201, Santa Cruz, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Please register here. Wednesday, November 6: Santa Cruz Accelerates will hold Demo Day. There, a sixth group of startup teams will pitch their innovations to a panel of judges for a chance to win up to $5,000. Finalists will be invited to pitch seed funding to Santa Cruz Ventures and Hawktower investors. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the Pasatiempo Room at Back Nine Grill & Bar in Santa Cruz. Click here for details and registration. Friday, Nov. 8: Monterey Bay Economic Partnership will hold its 2024 Regional State Annual Report event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the CSUMB University Center in Seaside. Representatives from Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito counties will speak about economic development and other important issues in the region. Speakers include State Sen. John Laird and University of California, Santa Cruz President Cynthia Larive. Please register here. Wednesday, November 13: The Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce will host a business “Gift of Friends” networking event on Cruzio Internet featuring refreshments and holiday crafts. The chamber will also accept donations to the Community Foundation’s Santa Cruz County Equal Access Fund, which supports Curzio’s efforts to make low-cost, fast, reliable internet available to everyone. It will be something to support. The event will be held at 877 Cedar Street in Santa Cruz from 5 to 7 p.m. Please register here.
Add business and networking events to Lookout’s free public calendar BOLO. Click here to add an event.
Business news worth reading
Is there anything you want to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor from readers within our policies. Click here for guidelines.
