At the Table with Jacquie Berglund CEO of Finnegans

In this At the Table, we talk with Jacquie Berglund who is the CEO of Finnegans beer and Finnegans Community Fund.  A dynamic public speaker and self-proclaimed rambunctious social-entrepreneur Jacquie and her team have built Finnegan’s into the tenth largest beer company in Minnesota.

What we find so interesting about her work is that Finnegans is the first beer company to donate 100 percent of their profits to fund fresh produce for those in need.  They also started a reverse food truck that spends its time collecting donations for food shelves at local community events.

What is the last thing you ate that is worth telling us about?
We just had a Chef Food Fight here in Minneapolis where local chefs made food items with FINNEGANS beer and raised money to alleviate hunger in our community. There were some amazing dishes…one was the Finnegan’s Trinity – Hoppy Shepherd ale, Braised Bacon And Amber Ale battered Dublin Bay Prawn served with a Dead Irish Poet Stout Shooter…Delicious!!

What is the number one thing you want people to know about you?
That I run a super fun and creative beer company in Minneapolis that turns beer into food…we sell beer and use our profits to buy produce from local growers, and that food is donated to local food shelves. Dream job.

What is your all-time favorite meal?
I love a bowl of homemade spaghetti Carbonara…south of France style

Where do you feel the most creative?
Near or in water of any kind… from bubble baths to swimming in the ocean

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and where would you eat?
Bono and I would take him to The Local in Minneapolis, MN

What is something you want to learn to do?
I want to learn how to properly sail a boat

Where is your favorite place to travel?
France

Why did you decide to donate 100 percent of Finnegans’ profits back into the community?
Because I am hard wired to want to leave the world a better place than when I got here, and this seemed to be a good way to do that

Other than the beer, what’s the best part of running Finnegans?
Giving the profits away and working with an amazing team of staff and volunteers who all enjoy doing good in the community and having fun while making a difference!

You can find out more about Jacquie’s work and the Finnegans Community Fund at Finnegans.org.

At the Table is a regular interview series on Umami where we help our readers get to know interesting people.  Check out more At the Table interviews.

Mark Hinds

A passionate writer, overly curious cook, and Umami's founder. Mark can often be found cooking for friends.