Meet Samantha and Robert Dufau of 2kids Brewing in Mira Mesa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Dufau and Robert Dufau.

Samantha, Robert, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We started as homebrewers. Then we became excessive homebrewers. Being the naive kids, we are, we decided to save up some money and start a nano-brewery. We had seen this kind of business model around our neighborhood (e.g. Mike Hess Brewing, Miramar) and figured we could do the same. It was meant as a way to keep brewing but maybe earn a little extra on the side. We kept our day jobs for the first two years, but Sam is now fully employed at 2kids. We continue to be one of San Diego’s smallest breweries, but that comes with its own perks and freedoms.

Great, 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?
There are always struggles in starting one’s own business. Equipment unexpectedly fails, or products don’t get delivered on time, etc. We are lucky that the brewing community is so helpful. We trouble-shoot with our fellow brewers and in return we help other breweries when we can. We also depend a lot on each other. There are times when one partner can feel overwhelmed, so the other can carry the load for a while, and then later it switches. It’s always helpful to have another person there to brainstorm how to solve problems. I guess we’re also lucky that we work so well together.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 2kids Brewing Co. – what should we know?
2kids specializes in less common styles. We have two award-winning English Bitters, a Grisette (a historic style similar to a saison), and a pre-prohibition style Cream Ale. As a carry-over from our homebrewing days, a lot of our beers are session able — under 5%ABV. We like the idea that one can enjoy a beer or two and still carry on a conversation. We change our beer board up almost weekly, so you can always find something new. Of course, we also have our Obligatory IPA always on tap. We’re certain the state would revoke our brewing license if we didn’t have an IPA on tap.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We focus our resources on the beer. Almost all our profits go towards new equipment or tools that help us make better beer. Our tasting room is not the most glamorous, but the beer and service are fantastic. We just want to show that craft beer is more diverse than people think, so we have an array of unusual styles and are more than happy to talk about them! 

Pricing:

• 500 ml pints $4 – 6
• 4 oz taster $1 – 3
• Taster flight $10
• Grumbler fills $8 – 18
• Growler fills $12 – 30
• 4-pack cans $20

Contact Info:

• Address: 8680 Miralani Dr.
  Ste. 123 San Diego, CA 92126
• Website: 2kidsbrewing.com
• Email: info@twokidsbrewing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2kidsbrewing/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2kidsBrewing/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/2kidsbrewing?lang=en
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/2kids-brewing-co-san-diego

Image Credit:
Mason Street Productions

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