Twenty years ago, Peta Fielding and her husband Brennan took an extraordinary leap of faith: they left secure careers, backed an idea that barely existed in Australia and set out to change the way the Gold Coast thought about beer.

Back then, beer was dominated by the big brewers, and choosing a beer was a bit like choosing your football team — if Dad drank Fosters, chances were you did too. There was little appetite for independent beer, and no established playbook for what Peta and Brennan were trying to build.

Two decades, more than 30 world gold medals and a much bigger brewery later, the Burleigh Brewing Company has become far more than a successful business. From its early community Brewhouse Bashes to its commitment to local people and partnerships, the company has embedded itself in the life of the city, and the hearts of its residents.

In this episode, Peta shares the risks and rewards, the twists and turns, and, most importantly, the deep sense of community belonging behind one of our truly iconic and beloved Gold Coast businesses.

Peta Fielding is the CEO and Director of Burleigh Brewing Company, which she co-founded with her master brewer husband, Brennan Fielding, in 2006. Since then Peta has successfully steered Burleigh Brewing Company’s fortunes through a variety of economic cycles and significant market challenges and evolution, building the business from a two-person start-up to an iconic Gold Coast business that has awarded ‘one year on board’ surfboards, recognising one year of service, to 101 Burleigh Brewing team members. In 2013 Burleigh Brewing Company was named the Queensland Telstra Business of the Year and in 2014 the company earned the title of Gold Coast Business of the Year.