Tim Pelton

Mark Sebring

Rod Baker

Mark Knutson

Bill Cronin

"Healing Waters & So Much More..."

The founding of Mineral Springs Brewery started where most great ideas start: late at night over several pints of beer. More specifically, over five men discussing their love of craft beer and lamenting the fact that you needed to leave Owatonna to find it.

The obvious solution for Tim Pelton, Mark Sebring, Rod Baker, Mark Knutson and Bill Cronin was simple: let’s fix it. Most people would have left this conversation and continued driving across the state for fancy beer and suffered in silence. This would be complacent, a word that does not exist in an entrepreneurs vocabulary. In that vein, no one should be suprised that after this first impromptu meeting of the soon to be Mineral Spring Brewery, things started to happen.

They found partners and turned a friend group into a small group of investors. They considered community goals to further develop downtown and found their perfect space, a nice little building on the outskirts of downtown by the river. They took on challenges, worked through them, and within two years they’d transformed from ‘what ifs’ to a full fledged brewery that Owatonna has welcomed with open arms, mouths, and wallets.

Our initial beer lineup: Thunderbolt IPA, Cinder Hill Cream Ale, Kaplan’s Kolsch, Sullivan Stout

The ‘Straight River IPA’ wasn’t brewed overnight though. The amount of time it took to open for business was one of the main struggles Mineral Springs Brewery faced. The build took twice as long as they'd originally estimated, thought they were still able to stay mostly within budget. They did this by doing much of the work on their own. Those they did bring in for help were largely friends in the community and other businesses eager to partner with a new exciting downtown business.

MSB has taken this in stride, working to be the local brewery the community needed it to be. Along with their beers brewed in house, they frequently host food trucks next to the brewery with an outdoor patio for those beautiful summer days. A welcome surprise for the local owners, they’ve become a quick favorite for rentals and local leaders planning special events.

Their journey to opening night is as reflective of Owatonna as aptly named brews and the clientele who enjoy them. Mineral Springs Brewery is an endeavor founded in Owatonna, built by other small businesses in Owatonna, and proudly celebrate their place in this small community, as “Owatonna’s Living Room”

With a beer in our hand, and a tear in our eye, we raise our glasses to the owners of Mineral Springs Brewery and we are proud to have them as one of our nominees for 2019 Entrepreneurs of the Year!

- Authored By Jessica Beckman