EARLY INSPIRATION

EARLY INSPIRATION

Javi has been brewing since the late 1980s, when he began brewing in Berkeley, California, with his brother Victor and their friend John Ramirez. As a child, Javi was fascinated with science and, thanks to his parents, Espi and Javier, he spent many hours working with chemistry kits and microscopes from their neighborhood hobby shop in Long Beach, California, where Javi was born and raised. In addition to his preoccupation with science, Javi was also interested in cooking, and checked out many cookbooks from their local library. He used to fall asleep reading them at night!

The inspiration for Cheluna’s brews and decor comes from Javi’s paternal grandparents, who were from Oaxaca, Mexico. Learn more about Oaxaca and its colorful culture here.

It turns out that brewing is a great way to combine a love of science and the creativity of cooking, and after more than 25 years of home brewing and over a decade of working as an emergency room physician, Javi is lucky enough to put five decades of life experience, energy, and hard work into Cheluna Brewing Company.