Javi and Jennifer Pérez are on to something. And we are happy about it! The Cheluna story really begins when they met over 26 years ago, as New York City Outward Bound instructors. Over the years, they have come up with some great techniques to keep the relationship, and the business, strong. Jen shared a few things about working with your spouse. She told me, “…Our tag line is ‘focus on the good’, so if there is a complaint or difficult situation, one of us will remind the other to work on solving the problem rather than complaining (which is so remarkably tempting and easy to do when stressed and tired!). I personally work on self-awareness and quieting my mind in times of stress, which occur with some frequency during this process, mostly by trying to take three slow and deep breaths before responding or reacting (not always successful or easy to do)…”
Cheluna’s philosophy revolves around balance. On their web site, you will see this concept explained.
How they got this logo is also a good read from their site: “We wanted to convey the idea of our business, a Mexican-inspired brewery, with our name. Chela is a slang word for beer, widely used throughout Mexico. Luna is the Spanish word for moon, which is in our sun/moon logo. The logo connotes the idea of balance, which is an important element in all beers we create. Cheluna is a combination of both chela and luna. In addition to connoting balance, the sun/moon logo we’ve chosen is commonly seen in art and decor throughout Mexico.
Cheluna opened in Stanley Marketplace on December 1st. The response to this husband wife team has been wonderful. Jen shared that the most popular beers so far has been our IPA and our Coco Xoco Porter (pronounced coco-choco).
The Beer Story
The answers can be found by reading their story on-line and the information sent over from Jen. “Javi has been brewing since the late 1980s, with his brother Victor and their friend John Ramirez. He discovered a home-brew store in Berkeley and purchased a basic home brew kit; brought it home, and with Victor and John, they began experimenting with beer making in five gallon batches on their kitchen stove. As a child, Javi was fascinated with science and, as it turns out, brewing is a great way to combine a love of science and the creativity of cooking. In addition to his preoccupation with science, Javi was also interested in cooking, and he checked out many cookbooks from the local library. He used to fall asleep reading them at night! Now, after more than 25 years of home brewing and hard we have Cheluna Brewing Company.”
Jen continues the story of discovery, “Making great tasting beer is difficult! Disappointed, but not discouraged, Javi decided to figure out why a pre-med student, a zoology major, and a computer engineer did not make palatable beer; they had very high expectations for that first batch! Years later, through much trial and error, with the help of books, brewery tours, and conversations with head brewers at places such as Bison Brewery in Berkeley, and Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage, Javi finally learned to make very clean and delicious beer, attributable entirely to his persistence, along with stubborn and perfectionist tendencies! The year that Javi bought the home brew kit was 1988, almost thirty years ago, and he’s been refining his brewing skills since that time.”
Thanks to Jen and Javi of Cheluna Brewery for sharing their great story. Cheluna is excited to be a part of the Stanley Marketplace. You can see the progress and events on their Facebook page and more cool pics on Instagram. Definitely – check it out.
Stanley Marketplace is going to be the home of many fun, unique and local businesses. Each one of them has their own story and they will impact the community in different ways. Keep checking back as we feature these local enterprises. These interviews and information is being brought to you by Lending Maven Mortgage another proud Stapleton business.
Check out more on our blogs for Beeler Park and Bluff Lake.
