Finalist of the AHA (Australian Hotels Association) Excellence in Service Award.
Finalist of the AHA (Australian Hotels Association) Excellence in Service Award.
If the past couple of years have taught us one thing, it’s that having top shelf liqour in your cabinet is a necessity. So we don’t know about you, but we made many a trip to our local bottle shop. And one man that you may have come across is Jason Stephenson of family-owned Cooly Liquor. A top-notch bottle-o catering to the southern end of the Coast with Jason Stephenson, who recently won a Queensland Hotels Association (QHA) Winner Employee Excellence in Service Award at the helm. (Go Jason!) So without further ado, meet one of QLD’s most knowledgable men on craft beer, get to know his local faves and learn all about his podcast.
How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
27 years.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Beach lover who enjoys spending time with my wife and dog. When not at the beach, you will find me at a cafe or wine bar or at home watching F1 or NFL. I have worked with both large format and small family liquor retail. When not driving around on a forklift, I will be working as a mentor to the team and improving workplace culture.
What do you love about the Gold Coast?
The beache, the weather, the people, the craft beer industry, the cafes and bars. Being able to live in Burleigh Heads and work next to the beach, how could you not love the Coast?!
How and why did you get into the liquor industry?
In 1995 when I relocated, I was offered a job at the Victory Hotel Brisbane and I loved working behind the bar. Later I would spend two years as a duty manager at Parkwood Tavern when I was offered an opportunity to move into retail and 27 years later I have made a career of it.
You have won quite a number of awards during your career, do you have one that you are most proud of?
QHA (Queensland Hotels Association) Winner Employee Excellence in Service Award to win amongst your peers is always super rewarding, especially given the calibre of finalists in Queensland and amazing venues, I will always be extremely proud of winning this award in June 2022.
Explain to us what the Rusty Flash Show is, and how people can watch it.
The RF Show is two Liquor Industry blokes chatting to Industry people from around Australia. Wine makers, CEOs, sommelier, brewers, reps, brewery owners and marketing and advertising agencies. We go live on Monday nights through Instagram and the show runs for 30-60 minutes with up to four people per show. @rustyflashshow
How did the concept of this show come about?
At the height of Covid, when Australia was shutting down pubs, clubs and essentially the entire hospitality industry, I realised a lot of friends and people I work with all just lost their jobs. So I started Flash Chats to talk to everyone to make sure they were ok and give them a voice. The first show was so raw I forgot to even save it.
The liquor industry is always evolving; and in your opinion, why do you think there has been a surge in demand for zero alcohol products recently?
Even with all my experience, this is a trend I just cannot explain and to be honest never saw coming. In the retail space, management is quite the art form and given the growth in the category, it is taking up the space of good alcoholic products, personally, we are in the business of selling alcoholic beverages and that should always be our priority.
What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?
The growth of the Gold Coast’s craft beer and artisan spirit industry and watching them continue to set trends and lead the direction of the Australian market.
What are your Gold Coast favourites…
Café/coffee spot: Custard Canteen (Palm Beach), Tarte (Burleigh Heads) and Palm Springs (Burleigh Heads)
Restaurant: Balboa Italian (Palm Beach), Miami Rice (Miami) and Las Palmas (Palm Beach)
Bar or place for a drink: Paloma Wine Bar (Burleigh Heads), La Bella Cellar (Burleigh Heads), Precinct Brewing (Miami) and Balter Brewing (Currumbin)
Beach: Palm Beach Dog Beach and Burleigh Heads.
How do you choose to spend your weekends?
After a day at the beach on Burleigh Hill with a beer and my family just no better way to relax and unwind from the week that was.