Siouxland Magazine - Volume 5 Issue 3

Siouxland Magazine | Collaborating / 20
Starting Conversations
Podcast
Interview with Nicki Werner
Jefferson Beer Supply - A Unique Blend of Talent, Ingenuity, and Integrity
with Stacie & Tony
When you think of the blending ingredients
for craft beers, barley, wheat, and hops might
be the first ingredients that come to mind.
However, when you’re speaking of Jefferson Beer
Supply in Jefferson, South Dakota, agency, ethos,
equality, prosperity, pineapple upside down cake,
Gryffindor, and a Challenger are more what owner
Nicki Werner thinks are the recipe for success.
“One of the most important things we wanted to
do with this company was bring prosperity to
our town. We wanted to have the company be
employee owned including with stock ownership.
To have each employee be involved with trust in
the voting rights, future of the business, how the
business grows, the financial goals. Employee
stock ownership in ethos,” stated Nicki.
One of the ways that is accomplished is through
the employee beer director program.
“Each employee has total ownership and control
over a specific brew each year. It’s a multifaceted
approach. It helps them learn about the brewing
process and gives them agency and ownership in
the business itself,” said Nicki.
As an example, Nicki shared that one of the
bartenders, Trevor, really wants to develop a
pineapple upside down cake brew.
“That’s a fun flavor, and then he wants to use the
proceeds the beer makes to donate to the Boys
and Girls Club. Different employees go different
ways with it. Especially in beer, there are so many
different ideas. No one master genius holds all the
power. We really try to make this an equal playing
field for everyone involved,” remarked Nicki.
She went on to say that her intention with the
beer has always been to drink beer and to build a
community around it and with it.
Stacie & Tony interviewing Nicki Werner.
“We make the culture that we want to be a part of
and involved in. What do we want the business to
do for our employees, town, community, and in a
broader perspective for Siouxland?”
It is an interesting perspective from a business
owner with mostly an arts background; however,
she had worked at craft breweries in both
Wisconsin and Colorado. The breweries were
closely entwined with the arts scene in both
locations, and in time, Nicki had more than 10
years of experience working in the breweries and
being involved in the arts community. She and
her partner wanted to be living closer to family,
so they moved back to the Siouxland area.
“I was always interested in equity and issues of
justice. We started planning this business in 2020.
If that wasn’t the year to live according to your
values, I don’t know what was. I’d been involved