Pete Gillespie: Garage Project Founder on stepping in to save Fortune Favours

An SOS call has been answered in Wellington’s hospitality sector. 

Local brewers Garage Project have stepped in to save Fortune Favours’ bar and brewery from permanent closure after a decade in operation. 

The brewery saw a 45% drop in revenue over the past two years, even after taking home top honours at this year’s Beervana festival. 

Garage Project founder Pete Gillespie told Mike Hosking they did such an incredible job with that space, it would be a crime to see everything ripped out. 

He says they may have more optimism than they should, but he feels like it's worth doubling down on the bar.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The beer is still to be poured for another day.
Brewers Garage Project have stepped into, say Fortune Favors from closure,
Fortune Favors or a forty five percent drop in revenue,
costs were up and awards don't pay the bill, so
it was over until it wasn't. Pet Llsbie is the
founder of Garage Project and as with there's Pete morning.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Oh what I do know, how am Ike?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Very well? Indeed, the state of craft beer generally as
you see.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
It is what, Oh, it's been tough. I mean it's
just shows. I mean, Fortune Favors did an incredible job
setting up like a really cool little venue in the
heart of Wellington. You couldn't find a better place to
have a beer on one of the five nice days
we have in Wellington. And yet still, you know, it's
still this has happened. I think it's just tough. Tough

(00:42):
for them, tough for all venues in Wellington.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
Well, what have you got that they haven't?

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Then?

Speaker 1 (00:46):
How come you want to step in?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Oh? Look, honestly, Mike, it is like I said, they
did such an incredible job of that space. It would
just be a crime to see everything ripped out of there.
I don't know what have we got, probably more optimism
than maybe we should. But I just feel like, I
don't know, it's worth doubling down.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Also, this is an altruistic thing on your This is
an emotional decision on your part, opposed to the cold,
hard numbers.

Speaker 2 (01:14):
I mean, look, we wouldn't do it if we didn't
think we could pull it off. I mean there's definitely
an emotional element. I mean, I love Wellington, Mic. I
think it's really cool. I mean, I know it's a
bit shit in places, but I really want to double
down on it. I mean, we're doing this, We're partnering
with Bill Bailey down at the Pavilion as well. I mean,
I don't know, maybe it's a moment we could turn

(01:36):
things around.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, let us hope. So that's what I'm arguing. I'm
wondering if you've got the bank balance to hold it
until the until the rising tide lifts everybody.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yes, well, I mean obviously this is one of the things,
isn't it. I Mean, we have a little tap room
up at Atto. I mean it's tiny. It's like it's
like a sort of storage cupboard where you can go
and have a beer. So We've got obviously a brewery
behind us. We sell into supermarkets as well. Hopefully we've
got enough stretch to build of buffer and make this work.
And like I said, I mean it is on those

(02:08):
few sunny days in Wellington. I cannot think of a
place I'd rather cert and have a beer than on
that deck there. So yeah, it'd be nice to.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
That youve be thirty seconds on zero or low alcohol beer.
Is it going off or not?

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah? Absolutely, I mean it's now our number one selling
six pack. Tiny is huge. I'd love to say Mike
that we saw it coming and we're very clever, But
to be absolutely honest, I mean we just had a
stab at making Tiny. It seemed I'd tried a lot
of the other non alcohol beers that were available at
the time, and I mean, honestly some of them were rubbish.

(02:43):
I really felt like we could crack something with a
little bit more flavor. So we made Tiny and we
just happened to be there at the right moment called
that wave. It's interesting where it's come from. Is it
just that we all sat at home during COVID and
maybe over indulged, and this is us swinging back the
other way.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Goodba Yeah all right mate. We'll go well with the
bar and good luck with the tiny and I love
talking about I found myself talking a lot about beer
this week, and I find myself enjoying that experience. Pete
Gillespie Out of Garage Project.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
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