6
T he C oast News - I nland E dition
JAN. 29, 2016
CLUB WELCOMES HEIFER INTERNATIONAL April Rosemeyer of the Woman’s Club of Vista welcomes Frances Hale, of Heifer International, along with Judy Pantazo. Heifer International is a nonprofit that provides livestock and training to families in need all over the world. Each family who receives an animal agrees to give one of their animal’s offspring to another family, who repeats the same procedure. Hale spoke of her recent travels to Honduras to assess Heifer’s success. Courtesy photo
Indian Joe Brewing, which closed in February 2015, will reopen in March in an 18,000 square-foot building visible on state Route 78. Owner Max Moran hopes to expand the brewery into a full restaurant. Photo
by Hoa Quach
It’s coming back! Indian Pointing the way to North County craft beer Joe Brewing to reopen Northbound vince vasquez
H
ow easy is it for visitors to North County to learn about our local breweries and brewpubs? It’s a question worth asking. With so much of the craft beer industry focused on word-of-mouth marketing, it’s not easy to passively encounter brewery signage or advertising, even with more than 100 breweries in the San Diego region. I’m a big believer in the value of “place-based marketing,” a marketplace strategy that emphasizes the link between the quality of a product and its origin. Placebased marketing is used to differentiate products in a globalized marketplace. As consumer choices grow, product differentiation becomes
CODING
increasingly important. Consumers use place as a short cut to make confident purchasing decisions, particularly with artisanal food and beverage products (think Italian olive oil and Belgian chocolates). Placebased marketing strategies need regional branding campaigns to help drive sales. These campaigns are commonly featured on the products themselves (“Real California Cheese” labels on all California-produced cheese products), as well as in public spaces. Across the world, the wine industry uses public signage to passively market to consumers. Roadside “wine trail” signs dot the physical landscape in wine growing regions, informing passersby of wineries in the vicinity. Most of these signs use simple purple grape icons as a universal symbol for wine, an effective way to communicate across languages and nationalities. All wineries, new and old, large and small, benefit from the presence of common signage. These “wayfin-
ding” signs foster orientation, exploration and tourism. Wineries aren’t the only artisanal beverage industry to use wayfinding signs. Scottish distilleries have created a Malt Whisky Trail with brown, prominent roadway signs that welcome visitors along the countryside. The distinctive distillery pagodas found in Scotland are emblazoned in white and used as the roadway symbol for whisky distilleries. An exhaustive investigation by this author failed to uncover a single craft beer region in the United States that uses brewery trail signage. Why not then North County? Brewery wayfinding signs could drive more interest and sales to local brewers. They could elevate North County reputation as a craft beer industry leader and tourist-friendly destination. They could also generate more investment from breweries and businesses that benefit from greater craft beer sales and tourism, such as hotels, restaurants and re-
tail shops. Maybe Vista, the city with the most breweries and brewpubs in North County, could champion this issue? Perhaps a hop floating over a beer barrel is a strong universal symbol for brewery? Wayfinding signs wouldn’t be expensive to mint — custom steel signs can be purchased online for less than $30. The signs could be sponsored by local business chambers, business improvement districts, or brewers themselves. Highway placement however may be a tad trickier, but they could be placed on private property and municipal roadways with far fewer hurdles. North County is in a unique position to take a leading role in cultivating interest and development in brewery tourism. Brewery trail signage may point the way to greater success.
gy.
ical thinking abilities. So all in all, win win for everyone.” More importantly, the subject has engaged students. Gray hopes that engagement will give Miles a sense of appreciation for his schooling. “We hope his love of learning that is so vibrant as a five and a half year
old can resonate with him throughout his educational career,” Gray said. “That he will understand the value of education and the impact it will have on his life and future. That he will continue onto college and be self motivated to succeed in his education.” For more information about the Casita Center, go to vistausd.org/casita.
Anderson said it’s imCONTINUED FROM 5 portant for students to be he thinks.” exposed to the world of But don’t think coding computer science. is only for students who ex“Coding is for evpress interest in technolo- eryone,” Anderson said. “Even if students are not planning to pursue this field, gaining problem solving strategies through this type of curriculum helps foster creativity and crit-
RAVEN
VISTA
CONTINUED FROM 3
389 Requeza Street, Encinitas
760-753-6413 www.sdpets.org
reserve is at 18 percent and leaders hope to increase it to 20 percent, Ritter said. Despite the positive economy, Ritter said the
SUE OTTO Your Oceanside/Carlsbad Territory Manager
Call Sue for all your advertising needs.
Call 760.436.9737 x102 sue@coastnewsgroup.com
Vince Vasquez is a think tank analyst based in Torrey Pines. He is a Carlsbad resident.
city is “cautiously optimistic” about the New Year. “Not to rain on our parade, but economists have cautioned economic headwinds may be expected from the slowing of economic growth globally,” Ritter said. “Therefore we will remain vigilant in our dedication to sound financial planning in order to meet the challenges that may lie ahead for our community.” The city also invested heavily into road repairs and the parks. About $18 million was invested into road and intersection projects, 3,054 potholes were repaired, 283 miles of sewer pipes were cleaned,
3,000 street light lamps were replaced and the city created 15 new bike lanes in 2015. When it comes to parks, Vista residents saw the city’s 13 parks renovated with an $8 million investment. Two new skateparks will also open in the fall on North Santa Fe Avenue. A portion of the park investments came from fees the city of Vista collected from developers. The investment into recreation has proven to pay off. In 2015, about 51,000 people attended the Moonlight Amphitheatre’s summer season, 125,000 people used the Wave Wa-
By Hoa Quach
ity.” The new space will start with six employees and grow from there. Moran said he closed the former location because the 3,200 squarefoot building wasn’t large enough to cater to the brewing company’s needs. The brewery on La Mirada closed on Feb. 15, 2015. “It wasn’t enough for what we had already planned,” said Moran, a Native American who named the company after his Uncle Joe. “We were very busy down there.” There are currently 13 breweries in Vista and more than 100 in San Diego County.
CAMERAS
ple the chance to act like sensible drivers.” But, a council majority said the program increased traffic safety in the city. “There’s an easy way to avoid getting a red light camera ticket — don’t run the red light,” Councilman Cody Campbell said. “All you have to do is stop at the intersection. This is a safety issue.” Councilman John Aguilera said the red-light cameras felt like “Big Brother” but it improved safety. “I don’t really like red light cameras,” said
Aguilera, who admitted to receiving a ticket. “But if we’re saving lives, I’m willing to take that chance.” Although the red-light camera program will stay in place, the City Council agreed to explore other companies who could provide the program. The city’s staff was advised to explore other companies or negotiate for better prices with Redflex. “When we put the red light cameras in, staff evaluated the need for the cameras and we did it based solely on the premise of creating a safe environment, and it’s worked,” Campbell said. “Major collisions have gone down,” he added.
terpark and more than 10,000 youths were registered in recreation and summer camps. Ritter also said city officials will work with education leaders on developing the region’s students. “Investing in the economic future of Vista and making North County the choice destination for economic development is imperative not only to our city, but to the other 78 Corridor cities of Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, and San Marcos,” Ritter said. “During this year we will work with our education leaders to ensure the talent and skills are available in our graduating stu-
dents in order to meet the needs of the industries along the 78 corridor.” Her remarks were made in front of Vista Unified School Board Trustees Carol Weise Herrera and Elizabeth Jaka, and Superintendent Devin Vodicka, who were at the luncheon. Ritter also named Danny Villasenor, owner of Peppertree Frosty, as Vista’s 2015 Person of the Year. He is the chair of the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club. “I am confident the results of our work over the past year will serve as a solid foundation for building a stronger, prosperous future for Vista,” Ritter said.
VISTA — After being closed for nearly one year, Indian Joe Brewing will reopen its doors in Vista on Industrial Court. Max Moran, owner of the popular Vista company, said he hopes to open the 18,000 square-foot space in March. He plans to recreate the feel of the former location on La Mirada Drive, but it will eventually grow into a full restaurant. “We’re expanding with this big building,” said Moran of the building he purchased about three months ago. “We’re building a tasting room, outside seating and the brew facil-
CONTINUED FROM 3