Rewards do come to those who do good
Photography by Angela Aurelio
The word discretion means the power to choose. When owners Rob and Kathleen Genco opened Discretion Brewing in March of 2013, they took choosing the business’ name to heart, and they chose a slogan to match: “Choose Goodness. Have Discretion.”
“We’d like to encourage the notion that everyone has the freedom to choose, and that choosing what you consume is an important act,” says Kathleen, whose title is Discretion’s “goodness advocate.”
“It is not only Rob and I personally who are choosing goodness by spending more for organic ingredients, giving away money and beer to our local community and seeking greener ways of doing business— but everyone who chooses to drink Discretion beer is choosing true goodness in a glass, and also choosing to support a business that is trying to be good for our employees and our community.”
The public seems to agree with these choices, as Discretion has been voted Best Beverage Artisan in the 2015 Edible Monterey Bay Local Hero Awards. And the award is just the most recent in a long list of honors for this relatively new brewery, including a coveted Gold Medal for its “Song in Your Heart” English Ale at the 2014 World Beer Cup.
Kathleen and Rob were always passionate about food and drink but had not expected to open a brewery. Rob still works for a software company in Silicon Valley, and before conceiving Discretion, Kathleen was the assistant dean of students at the Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School. But when their son, Lars, started brewing beer at home, they got to see the process up close and it catalyzed their interest into a business idea.
The Gencos sought out brewers who would share their ideals. They held an international search that brought them resumés from far and wide, and they discovered Michael Demers, who not only shares their values but who also grew up in Soquel. Demers went to Colorado to study music and had been brewing beer professionally there since 1996.
The gathering place is central to the Gencos’ vision for their brewery. Kathleen explains that she once gave her students an assignment to list 100 things that they would like to do, be, see or have, and when she did this exercise for herself, one of the important items on her own list was to create a gathering place. She and Rob never wanted to make beer in a vacuum and merely send it out. Rather, they relish bringing people together and building community. Last year, they added to the community draw, bringing in chef Santos Majano, formerly chef at Soif Restaurant Restaurant and Wine Bar in Santa Cruz, who has created a menu that is beer focused, seasonal and locally sourced.
Is it harder to build a brewery committed to making good choices at every turn? Kathleen says no, it is not. It is more expensive, certainly, but it is far more fulfilling. And she is convinced that their discretion is among the biggest reasons for their success.
Discretion Brewing
2703 41st Ave., Soquel
831.316.0662
discretionbrewing.com
About the author
Amber Turpin is a freelance food and travel writer based in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
