WWU alumni brew connection

Bellingham’s Stemma Brewing Co. is built on family and a passion for bringing people together over a pint

September 28, 2026

by Jennifer Nerad

Office of University Communications

Jason Harper fills a can of Golden Ale at Stemma Brewing Co. © Sean Curtis Patrick/WWU

During his last quarter at Western Washington University, Jason Harper wrote a business plan for a brewery in an entrepreneurship class. That business plan looks a lot like the business he and his wife Kim run today,15 years later.

“I was home brewing at the time, and I really enjoyed the aspect of inviting my friends over to share it. That was the fun part for me,” Jason Harper said. “So, I wrote the original business plan, and I was telling everyone as I was graduating that I was going to start a brewery.”

Jason and Kim Harper have been together since high school, attended Western side by side, married, started a family, and became founders and co-owners of Stemma Brewing Co. in 2019.

This summer, that connection led back to WWU when Stemma brewed a small batch of Golden Ale to help commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Harpers’ alma mater, WWU’s College of Business and Economics.

Read the story behind CBE’s 50th anniversary Golden Ale in Window magazine >>