Ever since the South Carolina brewery laws changed last year, new beer-makers have been sprouting up in our state faster than weeds in a hops field. But then, if you are a beer drinker, you probably already knew that.
Mike Switzer interviews Mike Tourville, founder of one of the newest of these keg havens, River Rat Brewery in Columbia, and Drew Walker, the company brewmaster.
After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.