WYOMING, Mich. — At 3 Gatos Brewery in Wyoming, you'll find a place that prides itself on building a strong sense of community. Turns out, their customers wanted the same thing.
“Beer is a business about fun and happiness," said Co-Founder Linus De Paoli. "So why be serious and boring all the time?"
De Paoli and his wife, Renata, both from Brazil, found their way to West Michigan in 2021. Even in their new home, they didn't want their old one to feel so far away.
So, they created what they call a Brazilian Boteco.
“We call it a Boteco because Boteco are the traditional neighborhood bars in Brazil," De Paoli said. "It's where people go to meet their friends, their family...it's a community hangout.”
They love taking care of their customers, and it quickly became clear, their customers love taking care of each other.
“They wanted to buy some other people drinks — beer, ciders, whatnot," De Paoli explained. "Sometimes, the people they wanted to buy drinks (for) weren't here. So we kind of started just, like, taking notes of names of people that had beverages paid for them.”
That unintentionally inked the start of a new system, now known as the Pay It Forward board.
Right now, it lists three names, two of which just say 'City of GR' and 'City of Wyoming.'
"Probably paid by somebody who appreciates their work and what they do for their community," De Paoli said.
In some ways, that benevolence backfired. 3 Gatos customers seem more inclined to give than receive.
"We had probably a list of 15 names in there, and we just kept crossing out as people came and had their beverages on the system," De Paoli said. "But then, there was one name that stayed there for more than a year. That was Sandy.”
Sandy finally snagged her beer a week ago, so her name is gone with others in its place.
Each one, a small reminder of the bigger picture.
“I think it says a lot about how much they enjoy each other, how much they like to share their happiness and their love for each other in different ways," De Paoli said.
