Our founder, Emree Woods, is a dreamer, businesswoman, connoisseur of incredible non-alcoholic beer, and leads the Rightside Brewing team. She is also a wife and mom – roles that are equally important to her. This Mother’s Day, she felt it was fitting to share her dreamer’s heart with her kids. Check out her open letter below.
Dear Maisie & Keating,
Dream BIG! An early lesson I learned from your uncle was to put the bottom line up front #BLUF. It’s Mother’s Day 2021, and while Mother’s Day tends to gravitate towards awesome breakfasts and flowers (love them both by the way), it’s my chance to reflect on these first few years of motherhood.
Maisie, you were my muse for Rightside Brewing. You opened up my eyes to this whole new segment of beverages, non-alcoholic beer, and a true opportunity. Keating, you challenged my grit. I would wake up restless at 4 a.m. pregnant with you writing my business plan. You both challenged me in ways you’ll never know early on to prove to myself that living your dream was possible.
It’s easy to stick with a steady 9-5 but I’ve always known I wanted my own gig. It’s not always (or ever) easy to choose the road not taken. I’m so grateful for your father – he’s my right-hand man and there to support me through every decision. He gives me room to dream big. I hope you find that in a life partner.
I’m often asked what made me take the leap to start this business. For me, it’s about proving to you (and myself) what’s possible. Look, I’m not 100% sure this will be a massive success but I want to show you that pursuing dreams is real. Starting your own business does NOT have to be your thing, but motherhood proved to me that time moves fast (I blinked and here we are). It also gave me purpose beyond myself – I wanted to emulate these ideals that I want for you. Risk is real, but the reality is, our days are limited and I want to make each one count.
I had 3 babies in 4 years (Rightside Brewing is one of them). My dream is that I’m able to fit Rightside into our family life – adding and not detracting. Maisie, you are in the sweetest stage of wanting to be my biggest helper. So I let you – I welcome you into the Rightside world. It makes it brighter for me. You help me hand out beer at events & LOVE putting the “stickers” on our samples. If you’ve received a lopsided label, rest assured Maisie was behind it. But I let it go because it’s more important to me that she feels proud to contribute rather than having a straight label (that’s sometimes tough for me :)).
Lastly, I want to highlight this last year. It’s been hard, impossible, you name it. The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Looking on the bright side, it gave me more time to be present with you. But I won’t lie – I worked crazy hours…3rd shift if you will to make it all happen. In a weird way, I value all of it. Without COVID, I wouldn’t have had the quality time with y’all and wouldn’t have had the flexibility to see Keating walk/crawl for the first time. We had our own circle time, I had my shot at being a teacher (which is incredibly tough) and soaked in our time together. I’ll miss that.
Motherhood is complex and wrought with emotion. At the root of it all is love. I love you both so much and am proud/grateful/humbled to be your mom. You inspire me and challenge me daily. You make me better and thus challenge me to dream big. I love you both and your dad with abandon.
Love,
Your Mom
Meet the Dreamer
Back in 2017 while pregnant with her daughter, Emree recognized a need for non-alcoholic adult beverages. There was such a focus on everything she shouldn’t have, and aside from water and soda, there really weren’t any beverages she could order. That experience heightened her awareness of the limitations drinks can put on social situations.
She wants a beverage that creates social inclusion for people in any phase of life. Emree’s hope is that Rightside lets you socialize without sacrifice, removing any stigma or pressure.
Non-Alcoholic Beer that Tastes Like Beer
The secret of our crisp tasting brew is in the technology. A majority of non-alcoholic beer companies use heat to remove the alcohol, which as a result distorts the taste of the product. Rightside has invested in your drinking experience – bringing you technology that only delivers authentic taste. Advanced filtration cycles water and alcohol through, leaving nothing but a true beer flavor and lasting impressions. Give one of our incredible non-alcoholic beers a try today!