You cannot get to Cordova by car. By plane, by boat, sure. Perhaps by moose. But if you want to build a life in Cordova, Alaska–devoid of freeways and outnumbered by salmon–perhaps isolation is part of the charm. Craft brewers Curtis and Christiana Fincher took this leap and made the secluded port their home.
“Someone once told us that Cordova was the most beautiful place, and based on that we made the jump.” They quickly realized that Cordova needed a brewery.
The Finchers have uprooted their lives before; they have jumped state lines several times in pursuit of the outdoor lifestyle they love. In each of these locations, there has always been a place, more specifically a brewery, where the community comes together.
“What is cool about breweries to me is that, somehow, those traditional boundaries of ‘you’re over there, I’m over here, I’m not gonna talk to you,’ seem to dissolve a bit. It’s much more fluid…”
“It’s a great place to build friends. I think all those little social ties getting woven together over time does a lot to strengthen civic fabric.”
With fewer than 3,000 residents, the Cordovan community relies heavily upon each other and upon themselves.
“Before we came up here I don’t think I ever imagined starting a business. Somehow being around a self-reliant, self-starter culture made it seem like less of a leap…”
“We went from talking about it, ‘that would be cool,’ to dreaming about it, which I think is a stage a lot of homebrewers have been to. At some point, we took that next leap, looking at buildings in town…” “Little by little we found ourselves doing this thing that I’m not sure we decided to do at any one single moment. It just started happening around us.”
“We decided to work with Stout Tanks because they had the brewing equipment we needed and they were able to meet our timeline. On top of that their customer service team was responsive, and Don [Brewery Design Consultant] was very knowledgeable and professional. He never tried to upsell us.”
