TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN) — The Tucson rain and snow couldn’t keep folks from supporting one of the newest breweries in the Old Pueblo.
After having to shut-down days after their grand opening, MotoSonora is now defying the odds during the pandemic.
On Saturday, March 13, marking their one year anniversary, they are looking stronger than ever.
“Everyone talks about...oh, when we started you know, we ran out of our savings and we ran out of our savings. We worked way harder. And we were like, oh no that won't be us. We’re way better than that. No. No...that’s exactly what they did,” Jeremy Deconcini told KGUN9.
Deconcini is one of four owners at MotoSonora.
He says it took three years of planning before their dream brewery became a realty. Then, the pandemic hit.
“We were open one day, and then they closed it all down,” he added.
Though Deconcini says, he and his team knew they couldn’t give up.
“We didn't lay anybody off, and we didn't furlough anybody. We didn't cut anyone's pay. So that meant the owners had to pick up all of that slack. So we were in here, bartending, cleaning canning; like if there was a job we were doing it,” he told KGUN9.
At this point they could only do to-go, but they didn’t have cans, crowlers, or growlers.
“We raced over to the home brew store, bought them out of all their plastic growlers, filling up anything that was legal,” said Deconcini.
They've been hustling ever since. Once surviving, MotoSonora is now thriving with steady foot traffic coming in.
Kate Janka is from out of town. She says MotoSonora has been a real treat.
“I think it’s a really, kind of a very cool vibe. I like that it’s tiny on the inside and a beer garden with lots of space,” added Janka.>
Gavin Suarez is new to Tucson, but he says the first time he came to MotoSonora, he knew he’d be back.
“If you have a dog, they have the dog run right here. So a lot of people bring their dog. The new anniversary brew is really good, too. Very tarty. You can really taste the fruit,” Suarez told KGUN9.
“We brew a lot of traditional beers. A lot of lagers. We also, you know, do a little more cutting edge sort of IPAs and double IPAs,” added Deconcini.
Their most popular beers are the Victory or Death IPA, the Fog Lights IPA, and the Belly Tank Blonde Ale .
They also have a food truck outside.
Deconcini says MotoSonora’s continued success has been a team effort, and thanks the community for stepping up in their time of need.
“Tucson is very localized and we’re going to support our small businesses as best we can. Especially if there's booze involved,” Suarez told KGUN9.
“It wouldn’t have mattered how hard we worked if the people didn’t come out for us. So we really do have a heartfelt thanks for the people of Tucson for showing up,” Deconcini added.
MotoSonora is located at 1015 S Park Avenue.
