Persistence is the word that defines entrepreneurs Eileen Ruiz Toro and Rhaiza Casiano Pabón, co-founders and owners of Pura Vida Brewery.
The company was producing only 10 gallons of craft beer in 2018. Today it is a recognized local brand, with a monthly output of 620 gallons.
The brewery halted production in 2019, and after overcoming a series of challenges, the two Cabo Rojo natives returned to the local beer industry in 2023.
In 2024 they managed to distribute their beer to nearly 50 locations across the archipelago. In an interview with Platea, they talked about their journey and the lessons they learned along the way.
Distilling a New Opportunity
The two met at the Universidad de Puerto Rico in Mayagüez while studying for bachelor's degrees in Business Administration. Both wanted to run their own business, and they were just discovering their love of craft beer.
Even after graduating, sharing a cold local brew was a pastime for both of them.
Curiosity led them to take a home-brewing class in 2013. Hooked, they bought a basic setup to make their own beer. Every month they would get together to brew and taste their creations.
Two years later, still eager to start a business, that hobby became the business idea Rhaiza brought to her friend.
In 2015, places to try craft beer were less common. Some of the island's most notable producers were just getting started, with only 8 of that kind. Today the number has risen to 23, according to local specialty site Craft Beer Generation.
Eager to build something from Cabo Rojo, the two ventured into the growing industry, where women were few, even though in past centuries women produced the bulk of the beer that was consumed.
On their social media, both have acknowledged the owners and brewers of REBL Brewery in Utuado and Dragon Stone Abbey in Rio Grande as pioneers.
The entrepreneurs knew how to handle the business side, both held a certificate in Entrepreneurship and bachelor's degrees in Business, but they still needed to refine the final product they would bring to market.
From that point on, they approached brewing more seriously and methodically, according to Ruiz Toro: "We had to really start educating ourselves about fermentation processes, about brewing processes […], which involve a lot of science, a lot of biological knowledge."
While securing financing for the business, they developed the recipes that thousands across the island now enjoy.
Early Challenges
Through the Ley de Jóvenes Empresarios (Ley 135), they received certain tax exemptions to offset some costs, and they secured financing through a loan from the Banco de Desarrollo Económico, combined with their own savings.
This initial preparation process took three years. In the summer of 2018 they began receiving the funds and commissioned the fabrication of the brewing equipment.
Even so, they got little use out of the exemptions because those only applied to expenses incurred once the business was operating. The equipment they had ordered would not be ready until 2019.
"The bureaucratic process is quite rigid. When we started, the information was not very accessible. We went from office to office trying to get guidance. Here, the structure is set up so that your business practically has to be ready to open before you can get that financing," Casiano Pabón explained.
The two tried to push back the terms of the incentives, but that effort was unsuccessful.
By the time they finally launched, the incentives had run out, and they paid all the licenses, taxes and income contributions applicable to their business.
Testing the Waters
While waiting for the equipment, they decided to register a pilot setup they had bought to test their recipes, and did a soft launch of Pura Vida in 2018.
It was a smaller-scale operation, producing only 10 gallons a month, or two barrels, sold to a different venue each month.
They started with their flagship beer, the Hyggelig Amber Ale, a malty, balanced drink made with Puerto Rican honey from Apiarios Caraballo in Yauco, with notes of caramel and dried fruit.
Their first release in Aguadilla was a full success: "When we held the event through Facebook and saw that over 700, 800 people clicked going on the event, I was really scared and didn't know what to expect. And that's exactly how it went: the beer sold out in 20, 30 minutes that day, and the same thing happened at the other stops we made," Casiano Pabón said.
That's how they got their name out and caught the attention of beer enthusiasts. The reception showed them they had a quality product.
Ready to expand, and already with the higher-capacity equipment in hand, they paused production in 2019 to install it, refine the brewing process, and set up the space in Cabo Rojo.
Navigating the unexpected
A few months later, Pura Vida Brewery was ready to resume production and open its doors to the public, but then the harder challenges began.
In January 2020, a series of earthquakes struck the south and southwest of the island. The economy and well-being of residents in the region were affected, and just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Social distancing and a lack of resources made reopening unattractive.
When the peak of the pandemic subsided, the brewery resumed production. In the summer of 2022, they began fermenting their first beer with plans to start distributing it.
In September, Hurricane Fiona flooded their space, damaged half of their raw materials, and left them without electricity for a month.
After months of rebuilding, restocking materials, and planning their next beers, they reopened in March of last year. Since then, they have applied those lessons to remain solid in the local brewing industry.
A tap room and the future
Originally, Pura Vida Brewery was going to be only a production facility distributing beer across the island. Because of the pandemic, they discovered that for enthusiasts, the experience of visiting the place where the beer is made is just as valuable as drinking it.
So they decided to open a tap room section at the space, which welcomes customers every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There, visitors can sit back and sample all the beers currently in production, even as the brewery already distributes its beers to nearly 50 different venues on the island.
A list of bars and restaurants where you can try Pura Vida Brewery beers.
To make direct sales even easier, they acquired a machine that cans their beers in 12- and 16-ounce containers, so they can be taken anywhere.
Among their future goals, they would like to sell a line of canned beers that reaches gas stations, supermarkets, and venues that don't serve draft beer.
"Long-term, we would definitely like to keep growing the brewery, and who knows, maybe even open another tap room somewhere else on the island," Ruiz Toro said.
At the same time, both want to preserve what sets their beer apart in the market: the integration of local ingredients and farmers into the production chain.
They also want to tie these collaborations to social causes that can generate a social impact. Some of them have been:
ANCESTRAS Piquete Pale Ale: a classic American Pale Ale, balanced and refreshing, with flavors and aromas of pineapple, pear, mandarin and tropical fruits. Launched in collaboration with Boxlab Brewing Co., in tribute to women and their struggles for equity.
POTPOURRI British Golden Ale: A seasonal beer, refreshing and light-bodied. Made with rosemary grown by Terra Libre Farms, and hibiscus flowers from Finca ilán ilán.
MORIVIVÍ: launched on their anniversary, it represents the lessons learned throughout their journey. A beer with soft notes of bread and wheat, with a hint of pineapple, green fruits, flowers and pine, brewed with 3 varieties of basil, one of them grown by Terra Libre Farms.
They also hope their beers can be purchased in every corner of the Island, and they will continue developing new flavors through collaborations.
In fact, they are taking part in the Sabro-Citra Challenge, a competition in which 7 local breweries each make their own version of a beer using Sabro and Citra hops as a base.
The last stop on the tour will be June 29 at the Pura Vida Brewery location in Cabo Rojo. The event will feature music, barbecue and their own version of the Sabro-Citra beer, which they describe as light, well-balanced, with subtle notes of biscuit, bread dough, mandarin and other citrus fruits.
*This article was originally published in June 2024.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
