Inspiring Conversations with Jessica Uribe of JUN/A Beer & Beverage Co.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Uribe.

Hi Jessica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey started back in college at ASU when I first was introduced to the craft beer scene at a local brewery called Four Peaks Brewing Company near campus. I was so intrigued by the complexity of the flavor profiles found in their beers like Kiltlifter, a Scottish-Style Amber Ale that was far more interesting than the cheap light lagers I was used to playing drinking games with. I soon discovered that beyond the liquid in the glass there was a story behind each beer, brewery, and founder. That story almost always started out with someone developing a profound passion for craft beer as an enthusiast and/or homebrewer and a dream to start a brewery to share the craft with their community. I was so inspired that something as simple as enjoying a pint of craft beer could drive so many people to dedicate their life’s work to the craft and create spaces for people to come together to connect in so many unique ways. I soon became what many would call a craft beer enthusiast. I explored dozens of breweries within AZ and tried beers from all over the globe through hanging out at local taprooms here in Phoenix and traveling both out of state and out of the country to discover the unique craft beer scene each city had to offer. I listened to several Podcasts including Tap That AZ to learn more about the inspiring stories behind these breweries and soon began dreaming of the day I would start my own. I experimented with homebrewing for a short time and got involved with Arizona Society of Homebrewer’s Club to learn from some of the best homebrewers in the country and become more involved in the beer community. I discovered very quickly that the craft beer community and industry, was male-dominated. On a quest to connect with more women who enjoyed craft beer, I attended my first Phoenix Girls Pint Out event at a local taproom called Casual Pint that was featuring women in the craft beer industry, including Megan Greenwood with Greenwood Brewery. Girls Pint Out is national craft beer organization for women with a mission is to build a community of women who love craft beer and who are an active, contributing part of the greater craft beer community. A few short months later, I was brought on as a co-leader of the Phoenix GPO chapter. In this role I helped manage our social media and plan monthly educational, charitable, and/or social events to build our community and create a safe space for women to connect with other women who enjoyed craft beer. In this role, I had the opportunity to work with so many incredible breweries, taprooms, and other small local businesses throughout the valley in various creative ways to bring our community of women together. The people within the industry and our community that I crossed paths with truly made such an incredible impact on the woman and leader I have become today.
Despite all the beautiful aspects of the community I helped build and the passion I held for the craft, in recent years I have been really struggling with the physical and mental consequences from my alcohol consumption. On the surface, my drinking appeared to be “normal” and would not necessarily be considered a drinking problem for most. It probably looked like I was having the time of my life as both a social butterfly and community builder in the craft beer space. Don’t get me wrong, I loved what I was doing, but the cost of enjoying even just a couple of drinks was starting to greatly outweigh the benefits for me. As I began to start prioritizing my health and wellbeing, I quickly realized that my drinking habits did not feel aligned with the person I wanted to be anymore; I felt that it was holding me back from living my life to its fullest potential and really going after my dream to start my own business. I received the intuitive nudge to take an indefinite break from alcohol, which was one of the scariest decisions I have ever made in my life. A significant part of my identity revolved around traditional craft beer and drinking in general, and the future of that identity felt very unclear with alcohol out of the picture.
A little over a year after making that decision to take a break, I have not looked back. I dove headfirst into the world of non-alcoholic beer and other NA beverages as soon as I started my alcohol-free journey, and tried almost any NA beer, wine, cocktail, etc. I could get my hands on. I quickly realized I didn’t have to sacrifice everything I loved about craft beer that had nothing to do with the ABV within the brew, including the taste, quality, social aspect, community, culture, and more. I started sharing my alcohol-free journey regularly on social media and even planned a couple community events including a NA beer tasting event at Bottleshop 48 with Phoenix GPO and Dry in The Desert as well as a NA Beverage Social Event at a local alcohol-free lounge called The Chill Room. I developed a deep passion for sharing NA options with the community and supporting the growing NA movement. I also noticed a significant lack in the NA options available in many drinking/eating establishments and other social events including music festivals, concerts, sporting events, and more that were high quality, sophisticated, and delicious alternatives to alcoholic beverages. As a result, I founded JUN/A Beer & Beverage Co., a non-alcoholic beer and beverage concept currently operating as a pop-up bar & bottle shop in Phoenix, Arizona.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Making the choice to abstain from alcohol, whether it is for a night, a month, or a lifetime, is anything but easy. We live in a world where alcohol is widely available and encouraged to partake in at most social events. In the beginning of my journey, it was very nerving racking for me to ask a bartender if they had any non-alcoholic drinks when it wasn’t very clear what their NA offerings were on their menu, or to answer the dreaded question, “why aren’t you drinking?” among friends, family, and even strangers. I love a fun, interesting drink just as much as someone who is drinking alcohol, so it felt isolating when these options were not available to me or were limited to only water or soda. On top of that, drinking alcohol was a social lubricant for me and had been since high school. I discovered at a young age that when I drank alcohol, I became perceived as the outgoing, fun party girl. When I didn’t have alcohol as a crutch, it was super uncomfortable at first and was so worried about what others would think. I had to learn how to be vulnerable, to socialize, and connect with others as my authentic self, with no false sense of confidence that I gained from alcohol to hide behind. I had to make a huge identity shift and do some deep inner work to unpack all the reasons I drank alcohol and find healthy alternatives to replace my drinking habits. Discovering NA beers and beverages was a huge game changer for me. I honestly feel like now being alcohol free is my superpower. I have freed up so much of my mental energy to focus on what is most important to me and for the first time in my life, have achieved my dream of starting my own business. Being alcohol free has increased my confidence and helped me learn to trust myself again. Is it always easy? Absolutely not, I still struggle some days with feeling like the odd ball out or worried about how others will perceive me if I don’t drink. It takes courage to go down a path less traveled like choosing to be alcohol free. It takes working on myself every day, but it is truly one of the best decisions I have ever made.

Being a small, first-time business owner in the non-alc space, has also come with it’s own unique set of challenges. Although the industry has grown tremendously, especially over the last couple years, it is still considered a niche industry. There are more restaurants, bars, and grocery stores now offering more NA options which is amazing to see, and we are so excited to potentially help more of these establishments continue to expand upon their NA offerings to create more inclusive drinking environments for everyone. However, because consumers have more options when it comes to where they decide to purchase and enjoy these NA options, it is important for me to continue to home in on what sets us apart and what unique offerings we bring to the table. I am so excited to expand on our offerings for the community and continue to help the NA scene here in Phoenix grow.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started JUN/A Beer & Beverage Co, a non-alcoholic pop-up bar and bottle shop about 6 months ago with a mission to increase accessibility to these NA options, promote inclusivity at social events and in the craft beer, restaurant, and bar industry, and not only normalize, but celebrate alcohol free drinking in the Phoenix community. We believe everyone deserves a seat at the bar and with a high quality, delicious, and sophisticated non-alc bev in hand, whether you are taking a break from alcohol for an evening, a month, or a lifetime, no matter the reason. JUN/A has popped up at several events all over Phoenix so far including First Fridays, Sidewalk Saturdays, Copper State Beer Fest, and McDowell Mountain Music festival as their first official non-alc bar sponsor. Building a safe, inclusive, and fun alcohol-free community is a top priority of mine. We collaborated with another small business called the Twisted Botanist to bring the community a monthly Mocktail Night for people to sip on rotating hand crafted functional mocktails, sample NA beverages, shop, and mingle. We are currently working on setting up our wholesale/distribution program, online shop, and brick and mortar to expand our offerings and impact in the Valley and beyond. My vision for JUN/A is to be way more than just a bar and bottle shop to buy NA beers and beverages; we are leading the NA movement, breaking down societal norms, and redefining the drinking culture in Phoenix and beyond.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
That’s a hard question; I was lucky enough to have an amazing childhood with so many great memories. I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, IL. before moving to Phoenix, AZ with my family when I was 9 years old. I think some of the fondest memories of my childhood happened when my sisters and I played outside together. We would ride our bikes, chase each other around playing make-believe, climb trees, look for caterpillars and butterflies, and explore the prairie right in our backyard. We let our imaginations run wild out there and would pretend we were explorers on the greatest adventures. As kids, we not only dreamt big, but didn’t set the same limitations we set on ourselves as adults. We believed we were invincible and that anything was possible. Unfortunately, we can become jaded from the harsh reality of the world and the challenges we face as we grow up, which can inhibit our ability to believe in our capabilities and truly see what is possible for ourselves. Thinking about these childhood memories reminds me that often times it is our own selves holding us back more than any external factor. I know this better than anybody, because I have done this to myself most my life, and alcohol played a big role in that. If we all allow ourselves to dream like we are kids again and really believe that we have the ability to make those dreams a reality, we all would quite literally change the world.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juna.beerandbeverageco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juna.beerandbeverageco
• LinkedIn: https://linktr.ee/junabeerandbeverageco?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabO-GSSpss8vG6awe2PkDpa3XBPHzQnNq6t3Tpp17Oz26bVNHF1OC07VOk_aem_GAMmgqkugFjDAEm00LT1yw