In the past 15 months, NIU graduate Ken Pavichevich, President of Pavichevich Brewing Company, has established a microbrewery and produced a beer called Baderbrau that is quickly becoming the taste of Chicago at such establishments as Shaw’s Crab House and Eccentric, the restaurant owned by Oprah Winfrey and Rich Mellman.

“The quality of our product makes it stand out from the rest,” Pavichevich said. “We’re all natural, and we conform to the Reinheitsbegot, the German Purity Law of 1516, which only permits malted barley, hops, yeast, and water as ingredients.”

In an effort to develop the finest beer and to assist in this process, Pavichevich, accompanied by his associates, including another NIU graduate Pete Peterson, went to Germany, Austria, and Czechoslvakia sampling the different beers and determining which ingredients would be the best to use. “We visited 60 or 70 different breweries and tasted more than 200 beers, working on a formulation that we thought would make the best tasting beer in North America,” he said.

While attending NIU, Ken met his wife Beverly, and shortly after graduating in May of 1972 with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, he became a Chicago policeman in the 3rd and 4th districts. At the same time he participated in part-time modeling. Results of his modeling appeared in “Playboy,” “Playgirl” (fully clothed), “The Chicago Tribune,” “The Chicago Sun-Times,” and “Newsweek.”

After receiving sporatic modeling work, Pavichevich decided to join the Torco Oil Company. When he first joined Torco, he was employed in the sales department and eventually became the corporate vice-president where his responsibilities included processing crude oil, trading oil on the international market, and exchanging product with Canada.

Pavichevich’s interest with the beer industry was provoked when he realized the market’s potential. “I had been watching the microbrewery industry and knew that the technology had now become available to build a smaller brewery and produce a fine beer.

“We knew we had to have the technology, and we had to have a brew master,” said Pavichevich. The person he decided to choose as the brew master was Doug Babcock, a brewing specialist who had more than 30 years experience in the industry including 15 years with The Stroh’s Brewing Company before he joined Pavichevich.

Unlike many entrepreneurs who experience a rapid surge in sales and then try to conquer the world, Pavichevich explained his realistic outlook on the business. “I would love to have breweries in many different states, but before we can have that, we have to crawl, walk, and run. We have to be successful with our first brewery before we can go anywhere else,” said Pavichevich. “It’s nice to think about where I’d like to be at in 5 years, but I have to live today before I can add on to the business.

During the course of the interview, Pavichevich gave a guided tour, explaining step by step the 28 day process of how his beer is brewed, and was dressed comfortably in jeans and a knit shirt, illustrating that all enterprising businessmen don’t have to be tailored in suits to have a thriving company.

One of the best compliments Pavichevich received regarding his product came from those he admires most. “We had an East German brew master drink our product and he said it was the finest beer he had ever tasted in North America. He was flabbergasted that anyone in North America could produce a beer like this.

“Another individual, this one from the West German Consolette, came through our brewery and loved our beer.

Baderbrau has enjoyed tremendous popularity and if Pavichevich’s enthusiasm and determination continue, he will definitely tap into a larger segment of the population.