It is not very often in any industry that one gets to see something come full circle, but that was the case this past weekend.
When Cincinnati State first announced the brewing science program, Cavalier Distributing stepped up to support the program as much as possible. Amy Browns Taylor, the marketing director for Cavalier Florida, Indiana, and Ohio, teaches BREW 210, a course within the program about marketing and selling alcoholic beverages, and Cavalier has supported scholarship funds and infrastructure for the program. It was in this class that Amy was introduced to Chelle Magin. Being the ambitious, intelligent, and hard-working student she is, Amy quickly realized she would be an excellent asset to the Cavalier team. Chelle started working at Cavalier in the Marketing Department nearly a year ago and this past weekend, she along with two other students, became the first graduates from the Cincinnati State Brewing Sciences Program. To mark this momentous occasion, we interviewed Chelle.
- What inspired you to go into the Brewing Sciences program at Cincinnati State?
Back in 2015, Cincinnati State began offering BREW 100 – Intro to Craft Beer. Couple my love of learning with my love of craft beer, and it was a no-brainer. I signed up within 5 minutes of hearing about the course. The next semester, I took a beer sensory evaluation class. At this time, I was celebrating my 10 year work anniversary at Seapine Software, a software development company. As I was taking these classes, I got to see firsthand the camaraderie among the local craft breweries and appreciated the generous nature of the industry. That’s when I began considering making the career move from software to beer. Around that same time, Cincy State announced a new beer sales and marketing certification. It was all very serendipitous.
- What do you like best about working in the craft beer industry?
The community. My first exposure to craft beer was through a small community of craft beer enthusiasts. There wasn’t a lot of craft beer available at the time, but they were a group of folks who appreciated really good beer. One of them introduced me to Bells Two Hearted Pale Ale (Bell’s is available from Cavalier in FL). In hindsight, Two Hearted was likely the beer that made me realize there’s more to beer than just lagers and malt liquors.The craft beer industry is built around the desire to make and drink good beer. But what the average craft beer drinker doesn’t know is that a lot of people work really hard to make sure the beer gets into her or his hands. My co-workers here at Cavalier are great, too. They’re bright, hard-working, and hilarious. And the beer community as a whole, is compassionate, generous, and always willing to lend a helping hand to one another, as well as their community. In the Cincy State program, we always say, “Beer people are good people.”
- What is something fun, interesting or unique about you?
I didn’t have a good answer for this, so I asked some friends for some help. Here’s what they said:
- I have a bad history with squirrels. (It’s true. You simply cannot trust them.)
- I have a tendency to lose my car keys in the weirdest places. (It’s true. Especially in Kroger stores.)
- I am a bit clumsy. (It’s true. Stairs are my mortal enemy, but are a necessary evil in this world.)
- I am an artist and have a bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy from Bowling Green State University. (It’s true. And no, that does not mean I’m a therapist for artists.)
- I once gave a speech in front of Jim Koch of Samuel Adams/The Boston Beer Company. (It’s true. Like, just this past weekend. He gave the commencement address at my graduation, and I was asked to speak at his welcome luncheon. He’s very nice. After my speech, he came up to me and told me I did a very good job. I gave him a curtsy as I said “Thank you.” He’s pretty much royalty in the beer world, so the curtsy felt appropriate.)
- What is your favorite Cavalier beer?
You’ll likely find Stone Brewing Ruination 2.0 (Available from Cavalier in FL, IN, OH), Fat Head’s Brewery Head Hunter (Available from Cavalier OH and IN), or MadTree Brewing Happy Amber (Available from Cavalier OH) in my fridge at any given time.
