“Shall we buy it?” “Why not?”

An opportunity in Bavois

The story begins in 2020, a few kilometres from Chavornay. In Bavois, the O’Bled brewery was closing down and its brewing unit could be bought. Many people would have let the news pass. In the Abetel family, it became a real question.

Guillaume asked it straight out in the family WhatsApp group: “Shall we buy it?”. Pauline’s answer took two words: “Why not?”. That exchange gives this article its title, and much of the brewery its spirit: take an idea seriously, then check in practical terms whether it holds up.

A study project before a brewery

At the time, Pauline was in the second year of her Bachelor’s in business economics. Rather than running the project alongside her studies, she built it into them. The future brewery became a coursework subject, including a market study.

That detour through the figures matters. It separates two things that are often confused: wanting to brew, and building a brewery that can last. So the project was also thought through in terms of customers, products and organisation, not just recipes.

From the kitchen to the bathroom

While the plan took shape, someone had to learn to brew. The first trials were made with a kit in the family kitchen. That is where you learn the steps, the waiting times and how much space a beer takes before it is ready.

Next came a 30-litre setup, installed in the new bathroom. Still a modest volume, but enough to repeat, compare and correct.

July 2021: the first professional brews

The professional unit finally found a home in neighbouring farm premises that had just become free. That is where the project changed in nature. In July 2021, La Talentueuse made its first professional brews.

Project, trials and production: three different stages

• 2020: the idea, the planned purchase of the O’Bled unit and the project built into her studies.
• The trials: a kit in the kitchen, then a 30-litre setup in the bathroom.
• July 2021: the professional unit in place and the first professional brews.

A kit in the kitchen, a 30-litre setup in the bathroom, then a professional unit in neighbouring farm premises: these are the steps that led to the first professional brews in July 2021.

A family, a village, a terroir

A family brewery is first of all people you can meet. Pauline and Guillaume brew in Chavornay, at Grand’Rue 66, and the brewery opens for direct sales on Thursdays from 5 pm to 7 pm and on Saturdays from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

The roots go beyond the village. The beers use more than 80% Vaud raw ingredients, with barley and hops from producers we can name. That part of the story deserves its own piece: Terroir, to the very last grain.

If you would rather hear the story in person, the brewery welcomes groups on request for a visit with tasting. Everything you need to plan it is in our guide Visiting a brewery in Chavornay.