There’s always a demand for good spirits and beer in southwest Florida.
Punta Gorda native Keith Towles and his wife Mashelle have taken that demand and pushed their passion for craft beer and visiting breweries to the next level by opening a Voodoo Brewing Co. location close to home.
The franchise had its grand opening Saturday.
Voodoo Brewing Co.’s mission is to help serve the community that a given franchise is a part of. In the Towles’ case, that’s southwest Florida. Keith explained how Voodoo encourages all owners to step up and give back.
“There’s this saying within the franchise, ‘beer without community is just beer," he said. “They really pushed us hard to get involved with the community.
That company goal shows when looking inside the Fort Myers location. Its atrium is lined with pieces from local artists, community members chat happily, and there’s not a TV in sight. Mashelle explained why this is the case.
“We do not have TVs. This is going to be something where you get to know your neighbor or the person sitting next to you,” she said. “Just trying to get it back to the time where people were a little kinder and friendlier to one another.”
Mashelle added that there’s a projector set up for local events, such as high school sports games. The couple hopes to get involved with local fundraising, and events centered around bringing people together through entertainment, like live music and comedy, once the franchise establishes itself more.
Patron Anthony Jones was a fan of the beer, and an even bigger fan of the mission.
“It is very important for our community especially to have local businesses that understand our needs, our community, what we like, what we want,” Jones said. “And this is the perfect kind of place for here.”
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