Brewing Company Owner is Second Speaker in RWC Viewpoints Series
Retired YMCA executive now hopped up on craft beers
Created by Open Door Communications.
MJ (Mary Jane) Anderson brought something to Gloucester never before done … a brewery. But not just any brewery, mind you. She opened “That Damn Mary Brewery Company” (TDM).
Anderson was born in Missouri but spent most of her childhood in the Philippines. The brewery name comes from her alter ego, “that damn Mary,” who behaves from time to time in ways Anderson never would! A former regional executive for the Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA, Anderson’s passion for beer is equal to her passion for life, a passion she is especially living out during breast cancer treatments and their aftermath … a diagnosis she received while making her brewery dream happen.
“We weren’t deterred because so many people had been clamoring for it,” said Anderson, 53, a trained brewer who retired from the YMCA to open TDM. “Having a brewery in Gloucester is important for a ton of people.”
TDM is located on 3-1/2 acres and connected to Mobjack Tavern.
Courtesy of The Local Scoop magazine.
Anderson worked on opening the brewery in between chemotherapy treatments with the help of her “tribe,” friends and brewery employees, Starke Jett, Susan Johnson and Pamela Witthaus. Anderson went through surgery with flying colors and her last chemo treatment is scheduled for April 4.
The brewery is using Virginia hops as much as possible and grains from Northern Neck farmers, said Anderson, who lives in Northumberland County. She also is integrating green and sustainable practices as much as possible and using as many Virginia sources as she can find to be a good community partner.
Come hear Anderson’s lively story and learn about craft brews during RWC’s Viewpoints series.
The Viewpoints series features experts on a wide range of topics of current interest. These free presentations begin at 11 a.m. and are held every month March through June in the Chesapeake Center Auditorium on RWC’s campus, 132 Lancaster Dr., Irvington.
Starting on March 18, you can call RWC at 438-4000 for a reservation for the April 1 event.
Attendees are invited to remain after the presentations for a complimentary lunch. Reservations open for each speaker two weeks prior to the event. RWC maintains a waiting list and honors reservations in the order received. Separate reservations must be made for each speaking event in the Viewpoints series.
Here’s the line-up for the rest of the series:
May 20: Bill Lohmann, author and Richmond Times-Dispatch news columnist
June 3: Tom Allen, humorist, Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist