STRAIGHT-UP SERIES : JASON LA VALLA
In our Straight-Up Series, small business owners and entrepreneurs in Detroit and Cleveland share their stories. Learn how the pandemic has specifically impacted them and some positive changes that stemmed from it.
I moved to Detroit only 3 years ago. Before that I had been living in New York City and working at a job that I really didn’t feel comfortable in. I had visited Detroit a few times and sensed an energy here. People were looking out for each other and it felt like the kind of space that I could come to and be part of something bigger than myself.
People in New York brag about how busy they are, whereas in Detroit, it’s not a badge of honor to be working yourself into the ground. It’s a badge of honor to be hustling and working hard for something that you care about. Detroit seems like a city where a lot of folks are doing something because they have a passion or a belief that there might be a better way. And when you get enough of those types of people together I think some really magical stuff can happen.
My Dad started a business when I was pretty young. So, as a kid, I saw him working really hard but he seemed to like what he was doing. Having that as an example, somebody to look up to who had really started something from nothing was pretty cool.
Casa Mara Club is something that I decided to start when I realized that the kinds of great-tasting craft beers, cocktails, and wines I was able to drink when I was out at a bar were not available to me when I wanted something nonalcoholic to drink. It really started as an experiment. Could I make a drink that I loved that meant something to me that I would actually want to drink every day but would still feel special enough to merit a bit of an occasion? I wanted to take the drink I love, bitters and soda, and infuse it with something that felt really personal, and a little out there, and even a little bit mysterious.
The pandemic had a huge effect on our business because we had been planning our summer and really excited about not just getting into every cool bar and restaurant in the country but also getting into some of the larger grocery store chains and really going for it. And then the bottom fell out.
I feel pretty lucky though. We already had a website. We had been selling a case here, a case there...but then once the pandemic hit, that became the only option.
We made a big shift towards trying to reach people where they were. Everybody was at home. So we said, let’s figure out how to get serious about selling online. And we’re still figuring it out.
We really saw the community here in Detroit step up in ways we never would have expected, especially having come from the east coast. I had hoped it existed, but it’s sometimes hard to believe something like that until you see it.
Another realization from the pandemic was that I found it really difficult in the old world to know when I needed to slow down and take care of myself. The last year has forced me to pay attention, to slow down when I have to and not feel bad when I have to take a breath.
Honestly, what’s bullshit to me is a lot of the same stuff that’s bullshit to American Liquor Co. It’s all of these people out there, adding things to our food and drinks without telling us. Whether they’re making spirits, beer, nonalcoholic drinks, or wine, it’s adding garbage that’s giving us headaches and making us feel bad. It’s just there to mask impurities and off flavors.
My advice to other Makers is, make something that you really love. If it doesn’t mean the world to you, then it’s not going to mean anything to anybody else.
“In the past year, I’ve seen all the ways in which everybody has looked out for one another including small businesses and folks working for themselves, making sure that they are also working for their community.”