USA, OH: Good Steward Brewery coming to Tiffin soon

A new brewery is coming to Tiffin, the fourth brewery in Seneca County. Good Steward Brewery will open soon at 277 Wall St., Advertiser-Tribune reported on March 14.

The owners, Jamie Navarrete and Yolanda Gonzales, who have diverse business experience, jumped on the opportunity when the building went up for auction earlier this year. Although they are new to the brewing business, they brought on expert Rose Nguyen.

“We are hoping to open by Memorial Day weekend in May, subject to change," Gonzales said.

The former Tiffin Brewery is now the location for Good Steward Brewery, which plans to continue hosting the same events, such as local bands, food trucks, the new best home beer contest, music, and other entertainment.

“Rose Nguyen our production manager specializes in beer and will bring in different-tasting beers because her father was a brew master from Vietnam,” Gonzales said. “We also will continue with old favorites.”

STEMMUnity Inc. is a non-profit agency that will operate from the warehouse adjacent to the brewery. Good Steward Brewery will be donated to STEMMUnity, to build a state-of-the-art STEM lab designed to foster education in Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, with an added emphasis on Music.

“The reason we wanted this building was so we could expand,” Navarrete said. “We have what we call STEMMUnity, which is a state-of-the-art STEM lab designed to foster education. I am going back to school to learn robotics because that is my passion and I want to teach it to the kids.”

Nina, daughter of Jaime and Yolanda, plays a pivotal role in bringing the "M" to life within STEMMUnity. Her passion for music has fueled the vision of creating a space that not only serves exceptional beer but also intertwines creativity, community, and enrichment. Nina will be at the helm of the music studio on-site, curating lessons and recording sessions and fostering community engagement through open mic and jam sessions.

The Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership, in cooperation with Good Steward Brewery and STEMMUnity, will host an informational event before the new STEM lab's opening for community leaders and businesses who wish to get involved. In addition, a presentation will be made at Tiffin City School’s Art & Music Festival on April 19 and 20 to showcase the potential of STEMMUnity and student inventions.

STEMMUnity was founded in 2019 by Gonzales and recognized as a non-profit organization. She has been leading the Tiffin Middle School Computer Programming Club since 2013. She secured several grants and donations for the program.

Since 2015, Navarrete has been leading students on weeklong summer field trips to the University of Toledo Instrumentation Center and mentoring the Columbian High School Advanced Science Club.

15 March, 2024