Meet Matthew Peetz | Yeast Whisperer

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

Hi Matthew, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
A lot of folks do not know that alcohol is produced by a fungus that eats sugar and excretes alcohol as a waste product. This is the case for beer, wine, spirits, etc. Without yeast alcohol would not be created. Yeast also produces 100,000+ flavor components that give alcohol beverages a lot of their flavor. In beer yeast produces the fruity (esters) and spicy (phenol) flavor components for classic styles of beer like Saison, Hefeweizen, and Belgian Blond. Yeast also helps determine how sweet or dry the beer finishes, provides mouthfeel to the beer, and bio-transforms hops flavors.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I fell in love with yeast in Graduate School working with Dr. Tom Wolkow. He was my graduate advisor and worked with fission and budding yeast to learn about cellular repair mechanisms, which have huge implications in aging and cancer treatment. At about the same time I started homebrewing and became fascinated with the many applications of yeast including beer, wine, bio-fuel, small molecule production, sustainable agriculture, etc. Growing yeast for beer, cider, and sake was a natural fit for my skill set and area of interest. It has not always been easy, but I am passionate about creating a high quality product and educating customers about all the amazing things that yeast can do.

I founded Propagate Lab in 2018 to provide a high quality local option to brewers in the Rocky Mountain region. We provide the highest quality product and do so through extensive product controls and testing. We also have a team that has decades of experience in beer to provide a great depth of knowledge to our customers. The team is made up of microbiologist, award winning brewers, and engineers to ensure that we stay at the top of our game.

It can be hard for a new company to get their name out, and to overcome the momentum of previously established businesses, we often hear, “why would I fix something that is not broken”. We have overcome that challenge by being more responsive to our customers and providing a higher quality product. Once we get our foot in the door, and customers try our product, they realize that while their old system may not be broken, it doesn’t mean that it can not be improved upon.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
One of the best parts about living in Colorado is how easy it is to access the outdoors. I would take anyone in town to one of the many hiking trails that you can reach within 20-30 minutes of Denver. One of my favorite spots is just past Red Rocks where you can quickly forget that a bustling metropolis is just miles away. I would follow a morning hike with some coffee from the Morrison Joe’s in Morrison, CO. The afternoon could best be spent paddle boarding at either the Soda Lake or Chatfield Reservoir. Next on the agenda would be a beer at one of the numerous local breweries. For dinner I would highly recommend Cafe Jordano’s which has some of the best Italian food in the state. I also like trail running and biking and Bear Creek Lake or the Apex trail system are both great options.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As a kid I remember watching my Dad dig up the front lawn to replace a broken sprinkler line. I watched him disassemble appliances, teach himself photo shop and video editing software, change the oil on his car, and on Christmas eve cook complicated or exotic meals. I never knew that you could call someone to clean your furnace, fix you light switch, or do your taxes, because my Dad did all of that himself. I learned from him that no task is too challenging, too complicated to figure out, or not worth taking the time to learn. I see that play out in my own career as I allowed nothing to get in my way of running a business. Don’t know how to do something? Google it. Can’t afford a new floor in the building, do it yourself. Need a website, build it. Do not let anyone tell you that you can not figure it out yourself or learn how to do it.

Website: www.propagatelab.com

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