Meet Andrew Bergeron | Co-Owner & Director of Business Operations

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Bergeron and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’m a Revenue Analyst by trade and currently work in FP&A Procurement for a large meal kit company. While my career has enabled me to hone skills in budgeting and inventory accounting, which provided a great base to launch milieu fermentation, I was always left unfulfilled and wanting more for my career.

I started homebrewing with my co-owner, Rob Bessett, in 2017 and while that provided a creative outlet and temporarily satiated my creative desire, Rob decided to make it a full-time career after receiving a Fermentation Science degree from Colorado State University. As a full-time brewer with a 5 year track record of winning awards with different Colorado breweries, we were inspired to think about how we could be part of it in our own way. We wanted to create a space that our guests looked forward to visiting the next time they came in and are able to witness experimentation around the fermentation process up close. milieu fermentation is designed to push beyond just beer offerings and test all different types of beverages that we can create under our manufacturing license. And now, that’s what milieu is all about.

What should our readers know about your business?
milieu fermentation exists to share our passion for crafting unique, high-quality, and innovative fermented beverages within the Colorado craft beer community, while creating our own unique milieu. milieu fermentation aims to develop a playful, yet esoteric brewery space, with products deeply inspired by traditional farmhouse breweries while providing a variety of beverages that range from traditional beer styles with a focus on oaked barrel-aged beers to alternative fermented beverages like kombucha and hard tea.

During the pandemic in 2020, the growth of the craft beer sector slowed as taproom and brewpub experienced shutdowns, significantly impacting the craft brewers’ highest margin channel. The brewers with robust off-premise sales channels were able to pivot, but not enough were prepared. Only two of the top 10 craft breweries in the Colorado experienced growth in 2020. Therefore, milieu’s launch strategy includes heightened importance on off-premise sales channels and a marketing focus on loyal local customers purchasing to-go products.

milieu speaks to our brand’s ability to foster community connection, not only through the social environment that we’ve curated in our taproom, or vibe, but also the appeal of our visual branding that submerses the consumer in a captivating story. milieu speaks to the biologically diverse micro-environments that our oak barrels hold, each one playing a different note in a beautiful symphony of flavors and aromas in our beers. milieu speaks to people harmoniously coming together and sharing in an unforgettable moment.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Colorado is a destination that everyone can enjoy. There aren’t many states where you can hike or snowboard in the mountains and then come down and golf the next day. There are opportunities to hit up some amazing food options in Highland/LoHi and then make your way over to RiNo to hit the best beer stops. I would grab a beer at Cohesion and then make your way over to Bierstadt with ending at Our Mutual Friend. You can grab dinner at Spuntino or Bar Dough if you want something a bit fancy, but I wouldn’t skip Kike’s Red Tacos. You just have to remember to hit up milieu fermentation right before or after the airport since we are right on the way.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our family and life partners

Website: https://milieufc.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milieufermentation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milieufermentation

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/milieu-fermentation-aurora

Image Credits
Joseph Burtoni & Kathryn Rowan