Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Peterson.
Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Bluenose Gopher Public House started in 2013 as the dream of a few locals to start a cooperatively owned brewery in the picturesque river town of Granite Falls, MN. Granite Falls was the home of the well-known congressman Andrew Volstead, who authored the prohibition-enforcing Volstead Act, and co-authored the Capper-Volstead Act, which legalized the formation of a cooperative business model. A cooperative brewery seemed like the perfect way to honor his legacy – a great deal of respect and esteem mixed with a bit of good-natured ribbing.
Forming a cooperative brewery was long and often challenging, with countless volunteer hours recruiting member-owners, writing bylaws, and raising money. Early on, the cooperative was presented with the opportunity to purchase a building in downtown Granite Falls for a very low cost. However, this also resulted in maintenance and property costs for years before the business opened to the public. In 2016 we launched a significant fundraising campaign to raise $200k to renovate the building and purchase brewing equipment. Unfortunately, we were not successful in meeting that goal, and in 2017 the Board of Directors had to make the hard decision to suspend the campaign and pivot the direction of the cooperative.
The new direction led us to open as a public house, a social drinking establishment. In many places, especially in villages, a public house is the focal point of the community. From the fall of 2017 to the winter of 2019, volunteers and contractors worked hard to transform our downtown historic building into a public house. On February 1, 2019, we finally opened our doors. And then, after only 1 year of operation, Covid hit, providing us with a new set of challenges. So far, we have managed to keep the ship afloat through the continued support of our member-owners, volunteers, and customers, and we look forward to serving them for many years to come.
As a community-owned cooperative business with over 300 member-owners, Bluenose Gopher Public House focuses on providing a wide variety of Minnesota-made craft beers and wines and serving high-quality foods made with as many locally-sourced ingredients as possible. We provide live music, open mic nights, educational classes, sketch comedy, trivia, art activities, vendor fairs, and many other community events. Our long north wall affectionately named the ‘Blue Tin Gallery,’ houses rotating art displays from local and regional artists and photographers. We pride ourselves on our welcoming atmosphere, openness to new ideas and creativity, focus on local and regional products, and respect for our natural environment. You may also wonder where the name ‘Bluenose Gopher’ came from. Bluenose is a 1920s term that referred to a prude or teetotaler – this is a bit of a dig at Andrew Volstead and prohibition. Gopher is simply part of our Minnesota pride, as in ‘the Gopher State.’
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I covered quite some of this in the previous section, but our path has been full of challenges. Most recently, those challenges have included Covid-19 and business closures, increasing costs, hiring and staff shortages, and continued recruitment of member-owners and volunteer involvement.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I (Melissa) am the chairperson of the board of directors for Bluenose, but this story isn’t about me. It’s about the 337 (and growing) member-owners who were brave enough to invest in creating a unique community space in this area. It’s about the volunteers who serve on the board of directors, on our working committees, and who help with events to make them smooth and successful. It’s definitely about our amazing staff who create the warm and welcoming atmosphere, one of our best features.
It’s also about the town of Granite Falls, whose residents are open to new ideas and support a thriving art community. It’s about the beauty of the Minnesota river valley, its unique ecosystems, and how it feeds the curiosity and creativity of the people who live here. I’ve lived in several rural towns in northern, central, and southwestern Minnesota, but Granite Falls is a special place. I’ve never met so many people in one little place whose first response to a new idea is ‘yes!’. I think that spirit has allowed Bluenose to exist and thrive. We hope to continue to be integral to the growing arts, culture, and community movement here in Granite Falls.
What do you think about luck?
It’s certainly a piece of the puzzle. Having a pandemic hit when you’ve only been open for one year is a particular kind of bad luck, and having a building in prime downtown right on the river become available for a great price is certainly good luck. Both have a significant role to play in our story. But the cooperative model isn’t a story particularly informed by luck – it can only exist through many people’s hard work, determination, support, and effort.
Pricing:
- Membership is open to anyone and is $200 lifetime. Applications can be found at www.Bluenose.coop
Contact Info:
- Website:www.bluenose.coop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluenosegopher/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BluenoseGopher
