Pio was born and raised in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and has lived and developed his career in California, Colorado, and Minnesota.  He completed advanced brewing education with the American Brewers Guild in 2010 and worked his way up in the craft industry at Oskar Blues Brewery, several Rock Bottom Restaurants & Breweries (including Head Brewer in Minneapolis), and designed, built, and operated the brewery at The Freehouse in Minneapolis - serving all 11 locations in Blue Plate Restaurant Company (BPRC).

Pio returned last fall from the Appalachian Trail, a journey of over 2,189.8 miles from Georgia to Maine, 04/29/2017-09/21/2017.  He accomplished his goal in 146 days - covering 14 states and 464,500 feet of elevation gain/loss.  It was the journey of a lifetime, an important break from "normal" life, and a personal challenge accomplished prior to jumping all-in to Delta Beer Lab.

Another Craft Brewery?

Pio brings a wealth of experience to this project.  Starting a craft brewery has been a goal of his for a long time, but he was never going to do it with a big investor's money and only his homebrewing experience.  That is why Pio invested his own time and money in continuing education, completed a brewing apprenticeship at Oskar Blues, worked in production brewery packaging, worked his way up as an Assistant Brewer through promotion and relocation as Head Brewer with Rock Bottom, and finally accepted the opportunity and challenge to create a brewery from the ground up to serve the vision and potential future growth of BPRC's The Freehouse.  In just three years, The Freehouse overcame historic breweries and new developments to become the largest volume brewpub in Minnesota.  At the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, The Freehouse received two Silver Medals for beers produced by Pio or under his leadership: Barley Wine-Style Ale and Leipzig-Style Gose or Contemporary Gose.

Delta Beer Lab is the vision of Pio and echos his passions and commitment all throughout. 

• Quality is our top priority, without which the craft beer industry fails the loyal enthusiasts that support us.

• Variety is a cornerstone that shows a commitment to guests.

  • You'll get consistent year-round beers that you can rely on, in addition to the variety our diverse guests deserve.

  • Pio learned many years ago that the most successful brewers make beer his/her guests want to buy, versus those styles in which the brewer is most interested.

• On the social side of our lab, we will show that business can do well and do good at the same time, and that this synergy actually amplifies both.

  • We will pay all of our employees more than a living wage, incorporate a generous revenue-sharing program, offer the appropriate employee benefits as soon as they are sustainable, and foster opportunities to share in the industry and continuously grow. We won't accept tips! Our team will work for our mission and enjoy the rewards of serving our guests well, as a team.

  • We will sponsor community organizations that work hard to improve life in our society. Through our actions and support, we will work to stop sexism, bigotry, and racism in whatever ways we can. We believe that a rising tide lifts all ships...and that there is no freedom until we are equal.

Your financial support of Delta Beer Lab will allow us to act upon pay equity and living wage standards, reducing the wealth gap commonplace in modern American business.  Your active participation in Delta Beer Lab will ripple out to positively impact our community, especially those marginalized and discriminated against based on history, dogma, fear, ignorance, and greed.