Melvin Brewing Company Co-Founder Jeremy Tofte lives the life aspiring Instagrammers dream of. His eight-year old brewery has won numerous accolades, including taking home “Best Small Brewer in the Country” at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015. Formerly sharing space with a Thai restaurant, Melvin recently completed an expansion just outside its home base of Jackson, Wyoming, to accommodate the overwhelming demand for its beer.
But what really makes Tofte happy is the fact that for the last two-and-a-half years he has lived the life of a nomad, travelling the country pimping out his beer from the back of numerous “mobile” homes.
“When I decided to stop paying rent in Jackson little did I know how much I would love not having a fixed address,” says Tofte. “Waking up wherever I want to be is awesome!” His first home was an old converted ski patrol bus, perfect for hosting parties, but a “pain in the ass” to drive.
He lived in it for a year before upgrading to a converted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van in the spring of 2016. After extensive renovations, it has become the perfect platform for exploration, stuffed with numerous toys since his company’s beer is sold in places where adventure is never too far away—Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and California. “I only want to sell my beer where surf, snow or single-track is not to far away,” says Tofte.
A quiver of surfboards and array of solar panels sit on top of the Sprinter. When winter hits, he stocks the Thule lockbox with snowboards. He has three bikes—fixie, MTB and road—stashed under his bed and a KTM motorcycle dangling off the back. When he’s not selling beer or having fun in the backcountry, the van’s flat screen television, a PlayStation and a sound system loud enough to host an impromptu disco party at the campground. Besides the digital delights he’s decked out the van with a full kitchen, portable shower and a small office nook where he is able to conduct sales calls via a MiFi.
“I am living the life I always dreamed of and having a blast while doing so,” says Tofte.
—Hudson Lindenberger
