Our People

Made up of founders, farmers, friends and mentors, these folks are the foundation of Upstream. Their hard work, expertise, and support is what makes our farm exceptional.

The

Matthew Brugger

Founder. Farmer. Beef Expert.

Meet Matt

Joesph Brugger

Founder. Farmer. Forage & Grains Expert.

Meet Joe

Hazel Grace

Founder. Dog. Puppy Eyes Expert.

Meet Hazel

The

Emily Frezen

Meet "EmFren"

Emily is the founder and owner of Stella Imagining. Not only is Emily a close friend of ours, but she has been documenting our life on the farm since the beginning. When you see our life, you see it through Emily's lens and we are lucky to have her apart of our tribe!

Stella Imaging

Jared Uecker

Meet Jared

Jared is the founder and owner of O'tillie Pork and Pantry. Whether it's collaboration on events, meat processing, or just bouncing ideas of each other, Jared has become a close friend of Upstream and we are happy he is apart of our tribe!

O'tillie P&P

Emily Long

Meet Emily

Emily is the founder and owner of Myellement Boutique. Since our beginning, Emily has shared her wisdom and experiences with us as we have developed. We are proud to have Emily in our tribe!

myellement

Gage Hoegemeyer

Meet Gage

Gage is the founder and owner of Farmlink. We have a shared passion for the agriculture and food industry with Gage, and plan to work together to add pork to the products we offer in the future! We are pumped to have him apart of our tribe.

Farmlink

The

Dr. Kyle Gibson

Meet Kyle

Kyle is an employee of the University of Nebraska, working in the Center for Entrepreneurship at the college of business. Kyle is our professor, mentor and friend, and we are lucky to have him in our community!

Michelle Olson

Meet Michelle

Michelle works as the Economic Developer in Albion, Nebraska, our home town, and a community we are passionate about. She has become a strong advocate for our goals and passions for rural Nebraska.

Dr. Tom Field

Meet Tom

Tom works as the Director of the Engler Entrpreneurship Program at UNL. Tom has provided the inspiration in our lives to pursue our personal purpose. Without Tom, Upstream would not exist.

Keri Brugger

Meet Keri

Keri not only works full time as a mental health practitioner, she is our mother and has given us the gift of creativity. Our wonderful mother has always helped us step back and see the true beauties of life and all that it has to offer.

Dr. Tiffany Hengmoss

Meet Tiffany

Tiffany serves as the Dean to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at UNL. Tiffany has provided us with connection to resources that have accelerated our growth and stimulated new ideas.

Jeff Jarecki

Meet Jeff

Jeff owns his own law practice in Albion Nebraska. Jeff not only serves as our attorney, he has been a personal guide for us as we navigate pursing entrepreneurship in rural Nebraska.

Katie Kreuser

Meet Katie

Katie serves as the specialty crop extension agent for the University of Nebraska. Katie has provided mentorship in our pursuit to raise high quality ingredients for our cattle, breweries, and our distillery.

Norman Brugger

Meet Norm

Norm is the owner and operator of Brugger Farms. He is our father and business partner. He has instilled the love for agriculture in our hearts, and showed us what it means to work hard and be good stewards of the land.