Thriving through adversity: Viking Brewing’s OCCU story

“Owning a restaurant is not for the faint of heart,” says Dan McTavish. “I’d be pretty cautionary to anybody that wanted to do it.”  

Dan knows what he’s talking about. Together with his wife, Jonna Threlkeld, they own and run Viking Brewing, which includes two permanent locations — a taproom and a pub, both in Eugene — and one less-permanent location: the Battlecat, a mobile bar borne of passion and necessity. 

“When COVID started, obviously, immediate pivoting took place. Business was redefined, and every day we were trying to figure out how we were going to engage with our community when you can’t, physically, anymore,” Jonna said. 

The solution? A delivery van turned mobile bar that could deliver Viking Brewing’s products to patrons anywhere. “To take the party to them,” in Jonna’s words.  

They found the perfect vehicle in great condition. But there was one hurdle: They needed to secure funding to snatch it up before it was too late.  

“Dan and I were in our car, driving up to Portland to check out this van,” Jonna said. “So I call Matt, our OCCU business relations rep, and he answers! I think it’s a Saturday, but he answers the phone.”  

Over the phone, Matt was able to secure a near-immediate government COVID relief loan for small businesses. Because Jonna and Dan were established OCCU business members, Matt was able to handle their paperwork as they were on the road.  

“We drove the van home that day, and that completely transformed our business,” Jonna said. “In the hour-and-forty-five-minute drive to Portland, we were able to make this game-changing decision.”  

Through all the twists and turns that life’s road takes them on, Dan and Jonna keep moving Viking forward. “You have to have the passion to do it,” Dan said. For him, that means creating great beer and sharing that with patrons. For Jonna, that’s playing host to the high-energy celebrations that occur almost daily at Viking’s locations.  

“We’re fortunate to have the space that we do and the team that we do and the community that we do,” Jonna said. “And when we don’t have the drive to keep going, they have it for us, and they lift us up.”