Inspiring Conversations with Andrew Volk of Ogma Brewing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Volk. 

Hi Andrew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Ogma Brewing began in 2016 w/ brothers Troy and Kevin Craft and myself (Andrew Volk) meeting on the idea of Troy branching off and starting his own brewery in our hometown, Jackson, MI. He was the Head Brewer at Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall, MI at the time. 

We all had lived outside of Jackson for some time after high school (Southern California, Chicago) and wanted to bring the things we loved about those places back to Jackson in the form of a small craft brewery and restaurant. As a result, you’ll see skateboarding culture and original art ingrained into the Ogma experience. 

After nearly 5 years of learning, planning, raising funds, building, and brewing, Ogma Brewing Co. opened with much anticipation the night before Thanksgiving in 2021. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oh god, no, haha. Ogma came across many learning opportunities along the way to November 24, 2021. We had many moments of adversity with local approval, State of Michigan licensing, and securing and finalizing our primary bank loan. That is all without mentioning a worldwide pandemic that set in just as we began to demo our space and build it out — which was 90% done in-house. With the help we did need, the pandemic backed up contractor scheduling by nearly a year in some cases. We also fought delays in brewing equipment and buildout supplies availability as well. It was a ride. 

The list to challenges were long but proved to make opening our doors that much sweeter. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ogma Brewing Co.?
At the root of it, Ogma is a creative space. We specialize in thoughtfully made craft beers and absolutely killer food that doesn’t appear on every menu in town. We’re also proud of and incredibly thankful for the community that supports and cheers on Ogma Brewing Co. There is no other brewery support system like it — I promise. They are a patient and loyal group, no doubt. 

We’d love to hear about what you think about risk-taking.
It’s all risky. Venturing out, especially in the food and drink industry, is naturally a massive bet (by way of massive debt both physically/emotionally and financially) on yourself, your vision, and what you’re creating. I don’t believe anything great and longstanding comes quickly and without innate risk. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ogmabrewing.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ogmabrewing
• Facebook: Facebook.com/ogmabrewing
• Twitter: twitter.com/ogmabrewing
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcaGj46XWklnefrcVH1kc5w/

Image Credits
Kevin
Andrew
Troy