After taking over the family business from his father, PRIDE Store CEO Mario Spina has been a busy man.
Spina has led the charge in completely reimagining what a convenience store/gas station actually is. By introducing three distinct high-end food service concepts throughout his 15 locations (9 in the Fox Valley), as well as adding beer, wine and spirits for virtually every budget, Spina has set a very high bar for customer experience for an activity that has heretofore been considered a nuisance. “Nobody WANTS to go fill up their tank,” he says wryly.
And his latest? 93 Octane, a brewery and taproom based in St. Charles.
“At 93 Octane our goal is to produce great beer for everyone to enjoy! The name of our Brewery is a play towards our Roots, we have been running Gasoline Stations for over 40 Years as a Second-Generation Family Business. The reason we started 93 Octane is because of our passion for Craft Beer! We strive to find the best Local Breweries to carry at our PRIDE Beer Wine Plus Spirits and our other PRIDE Store locations and now we are proud to display our own Brews as well. 93 Octane Brewery is part of a destination location where we offer great food from Urban Counter, a great selection of adult beverages at The PRIDE Beer Wine plus Spirits along with a place to relax and enjoy a cold locally brewed beer all under one roof!”
We caught up with Mario recently to discuss his progress, and most importantly his budding craft beer empire.
93 Octane is located at 1825 Lincoln Hwy in St. Charles. Visit 93octanebrewery.com.
