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What began as a passion for craft beer and a fun weekend activity with friends has transformed into so much more for Travis Moore and the team behind the brewery, kitchen and taproom Phat Brew Club.
“It all started in the shed in my backyard where we were brewing funky little beers for about six and a half years, mostly just things that we liked to drink,” Travis reminisced.
After sharing some taste tests among their wider friendship group, the demand for their craft brews quickly grew, and the team started to do some contract brewing at other breweries. But the desire to have something of their own was looming in the back of their minds.
In 2020, the dream started to really take shape when the group won the Margaret River Brewhouse Backyard Brewing competition with their Coffee Cream Porter. This gave the friends a push to take the next step on their small business journey.
They knew they wanted to create a family friendly and community minded business that, most importantly, served good beers.
“We wanted to build something pretty special for our group of friends and family,” said Travis.
“It's the fact that you are doing something for yourself, your family and your friends, not for someone else."
Location, location, location
Three years ago, the team found the perfect new home for their brewing operation; a long-forgotten building in West Perth directly opposite City West train station.
“To have a venue like this, one station away from the CBD, sitting here for 13 years doing nothing, we knew we wanted to bring some life and vibrancy back to it,” Travis explained.
“This area used to be pretty much just offices and commercial spaces, but it’s a fast-changing community here.”
So, in early 2023 the Phat Brew Club opened its doors in the prime location, perfectly placed for the community and city workers to come and enjoy good food, good beer and good vibes.
Their reputation grew rapidly. Over the past twelve months, Travis and his team have welcomed 150,000 people to the venue and brewed an impressive 200,000 litres of beer!
“We've got 20 craft taps as well and we make a lot of different unique, different styles of craft beer.”
And with face painting and balloon art every Sunday, live sports showing in the beer garden, weekly quiz nights and many other unique and creative events, there is something for everyone at the Phat Brew Club.
The SBDC reaches out to small business
When someone registers an ABN in Western Australia, the SBDC emails them with details of the free and low cost business support services we deliver to small businesses across the state. Through this email, Travis and the team became aware of the support they could access to get their business up and running.
Crafting a community to be proud of
All small businesses face challenges, and the Phat Brew Club is no different.
“The biggest challenge we've had has been around cash flow and the state of the economy,” Travis explains.
“Things like that hit hospitality particularly hard because people have less disposable income to go and spend, so it has been difficult to manage the business through that time.”
“I feel like the economy is starting to improve and we're coming into a good time so hopefully that gets a bit easier for us.”
Through it all, the Phat Brew Club team has soldiered on and had fun while doing it.
“The thing that I'm most proud of about our business is the culture that we've created internally within our team, we’re passionate about making sure that everyone comes in and enjoys their time working here.”
It’s the passion that exudes from the team that has grown the business into a vibrant cornerstone of the West Perth community. The venue partners with various local sporting clubs and associations, providing them with a venue for socialising and networking.
“We've tried to become very much a social meeting place and somewhere that is the heart and soul of the community.”
Cheers to the future
While their customer base is expanding, there has been no compromise on quality. The Phat Brew Club recently cleaned up at the 2025 Perth Royal Beer Awards, with two of their beers winning an epic 12 medals across seven different beer styles.
The team plans to continue pushing the boundaries when it comes to their beers, since that’s what they’re known for. They also look forward to strengthening and supporting their community even more than they already have.
In even more exciting news, through the help of 490 individual investors, the team will be opening a new flagship brewpub in Hillarys Boat Harbour in Summer 2025.
With some busy months ahead, Travis and friends are sure to have their hands full for a long time yet.
More information
- Tap into free, personalised guidance from an SBDC business adviser
- Read about how to select the right premises for your business
- Find out about the guidelines to consider when producing beverages
- Use our free Business Licence Finder to check if there are any licensing requirements for your small business
- Learn more about how the SBDC advocates for WA's small businesses
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