Carver Brewing Co. founders Bill and Jim Carver have dedicated their careers to the food service industry, and in recognition, the brothers were inducted into the Colorado Food Service Hall of Fame.

In addition to their induction, both brothers were also given a lifetime achievement award by the Colorado Restaurant Association.

For the brothers, it gave them a sense of accomplishment after a long history of owning bakeries and breweries.

“It’s been fabulous to run a small business in a small town,” Jim said. “It’s just so rewarding and you become a real member of that community.”

Brewery co-owner Claire Carver said Jim and Bill embody what it means to serve their community.

“Being in the Southwest, we are isolated from Denver and we kind of have a responsibility to the community that we have here,” she said.

The Carver brothers always felt a desire and obligation to give back to the Durango community. Bill helped raise $5 million to save the Powerhouse Science Center from being torn down. He also headed a proposal that eventually led to a 14% allocation of lodgers tax revenue toward Durango arts and cultural events.

Carver Brewing Co. started in 1986 under the name “Carver Bakery,” but the brothers transitioned to a brewery in 1988 when they realized they had the space for brewing equipment and wanted to provide a service Durango was lacking at the time.

Before starting Carver Brewing Co., the brothers owned a successful bakery in Winter Park.

The brothers’ journey in the food service industry started after Jim graduated from high school. He had always wanted to live in Colorado and had a desire to spend his life skiing. In 1975, he moved to Aspen, where he took the first job he could find at a bakery. Bill would graduate from college five years later and the brothers decided they wanted to open their own bakery.

After deciding Aspen was too expensive to start their business, the brothers moved to Winter Park where they opened Carver Brothers Bakery in 1983. However, running a business in a ski-town economy proved to be difficult because of the constant fluctuation of income as a result of seasonal tourism.

“It’s this cycle of busy and then not making money or actually losing money,” Jim said. “Then we heard there was a bakery for sale in Durango.”

The brothers marveled at the warmer climate and the year-round economy Durango had to offer. They sold Carver Brothers Bakery soon after and committed to the Durango location in 1986.

“In the mid-70s, there was less than 80 breweries in the United States,” Bill said. “And so, the microbrew movement really created a renaissance of craft beer.”

In 1988, the Carver brothers had a lighthearted rivalry with Denver-based Wynkoop Brewing Co. to see who would be the first craft brewpub to open in Colorado. Wynkoop beat out Carver by two months, opening in October 1988, whereas Carver opened in December the same year.

Bill said the bakery was immediately well-received by the community and once the brewery was added, business took off.

“In the early ’90s, Durango started this renaissance of having brewpubs and when you think of it now, are you really a town if you don’t have a brewery? But back then, you know, there wasn’t such a thing,” he said.

The brothers credit their success to having fair prices and a dedication to offering housemade products. Because of the brothers’ background in baked goods, making food from scratch is important to the former owners.

Bill said they also prioritized customer requests. He recalled a time when the business first opened and a customer wanted cream rather than milk in his coffee. The brothers made it a point to offer cream the very next day.

In July, the brothers sold the brewpub to Bill’s children, Claire and Colin Carver.

Bill said it was special that his kids took over the business, making it the second generation of siblings to run Carver Brewing Co.

“We stepped into a system that had been created for over 40 years,” Claire said. “It’s a great staff and the facility itself is just an amazing testament of work.”

She said working alongside her brother has been a unique experience and adds to the story of the business. Claire said it’s great to work with someone who has the same goals but may see aspects of the business through a different perspective.

With more time on their hands, Jim and Bill Carver plan to continue doing what brought them to Colorado: skiing and enjoying the outdoors.

tbrown@durangoherald.com