Candace L. Moon was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, and she went to college at the University of Virginia where she majored in psychology. She then spent five years working for a software company, and later spent ten years working in the corporate offices for Circuit City in its music department working in advertising and buying. She left that job to attend law school in California. It is in law school where she found her interest in craft beer. “I ended up bartending at Hamilton’s in South Park, San Diego during law school,” Moon says.
Regarding starting a startup craft beer brewery, Moon says, “You need to realize that there are numerous laws and regulations that come into play in this area, both on the state and federal level that other small and independent businesses don’t have to deal with. There are also many complexities of starting a brewery in San Diego – everything from raising capital, and the legal ramifications involved, to selecting a location that is appropriate for what you want to accomplish, to getting all your licensing through the system as expediently as possible, to creating a brand and standing out from the crowd.”
Moon with Claudia Faulk (owner of Aztec Brewery) will be teaching the class, Brewery Startup, in the spring. The class is a great introduction to all the various facets of starting a brewery or brewpub. It not only helps students see the reality of the complexities involved, it will also help them to better conceptualize what exactly they want to do.
Craft beer is a male-dominated field, but that is changing as much as the industry is. “I’ve always been one of those girls who has had lots of guy friends, so working with mostly guys feels pretty comfortable,” Moon adds.
The future of craft beer appears to be more great beer, but it does have a long way to go to catch up to the wine industry. There is always room for great craft beer and those who love it or want to learn more about it.