Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Manancero
Hi Sergio , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
La Dona Cerveceria was a brain child of not seeing enough Latino folks in breweries. I felt that if we created a place that spoke to them specifically we would thrive not just from the Latino community but from the craft beer community also. We started in 2016 in a contract brewing set up and opened the taproom in 2018. We struggle covid shutdowns, civil unrest, and years of almost constant construction sites all around us. 2025 is going to be our year as we have a new restaurant moving in next door to us and hope that they will add their draw power to our often passed over neighborhood. Our mission statement is “To celebrate the vibrancy, breadth, and depth of Latino and Minnesotan culture through superior product and customer experience as a fully operational brewery and community/event center, while raising awareness of and providing support to social, economic, and environmental issues that impact us all..”
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Covid, Unrest, road construction, apartment building construction. We have contaminated dirt we needed to remove and replace during our patio rebuild. It was a complete and total mess. The loss of the year we were dealing with Covid was very hard. We were making $15k to $20k a week and we went to making $800 a week during the shutdowns. Not sustainable.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I was a United States Marine for 4 years before attending College at the University of Minnesota where I worked as an Outdoor trip leader and supervisor. I launched the brewery while in college and spent my days working, going to classes, and delivering beer. Now I am the general Manager of La Dona and I also work in the public sector at the State of Minnesota.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I listen to alot of books on tape and podcasts. Mostly stuff not related to brewing as I am looking to get out of my head in that regard when I listen. Books I like non-fiction and science-fiction especially dystopia/utopia as relating current stuff to how it could be worse puts life in perspective.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dameladona.com/
- Instagram: @ladonacerveza
- Facebook: @ladonacerveza
- Twitter: @ladonacerveza
- Other: @ladonacerveza
