Fair Game’s Spirited Rose

Join us in learning about our craft beverage leaders in our series featuring some pretty incredible women entrepreneurs.
Rose Dyer, Fair Game Beverage Company

Summarize your background, your path to what you’re doing now, and/or whether you’re transitioning from full-time day job to this or if you’re managing it all.
My background is an incomplete B.S. in chemical engineering plus six years of working full-time in foodservice. While making my way through my engineering classes, I realized that despite my love of chemistry, I wasn’t cut out to work 9 to 5 in an industrial lab, so I focused my energy into something I was more passionate about–restaurant work. When I learned that a distillery was opening in Pittsboro, I made the connection between the chemistry that I had been interested in plus the foodservice joy of making something fun for folks to consume, and asked if I could come in a few days a week as a volunteer.

Your mentor, who you aspire to be, who is a leader in your industry and why. Trends for your industry, product/service?
My mentor in this industry is my predecessor, Chris Jude, who is now making tasty spirits down in Charleston S.C.  The spirits industry is full of inspiring ladies in every role – Nancy Fraley, a professional “nose”, is a notable example of a woman absolutely leading the charge in a specific part of the industry, namely, sniffing out faults or weak spots in a product and offering solutions. She focuses exclusively on craft distillers, which is cool because a lot of people associate that particular skill with the wine industry.

What was your biggest fail and the silver lining? Biggest/latest success that confirmed you’re in the right business?
Working in spirits production is fun because the biggest fail usually just takes a mop, a shop vac, and a few hours to clean up 🙂
Recently, I bottled the fifth batch of our Amber Rum, which is so, so delicious, and coming to the end of a two-year production timeline and being so pleased is a very rewarding feeling. Honestly, every day when I go into work and breathe in the smells of ingredients fermenting, fresh spirit being distilled, or aged spirits resting in barrel I know I’m in the right business.

What brought you, and keeps you, in Chatham County?
I’m originally from Chatham County 🙂  I grew up in Silk Hope, moved up the road to Pittsboro, and just haven’t managed to make it out yet–I continue to find myself with opportunities that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Anything else you’d like to share?
“Who run the world?”