Story
Crafting Connections
words chelsea filmer
PHOTOGRAPHY sam kroepsch
Switching from tech to beer might seem like a leap, but for Josh Helbig, it felt like a natural evolution. Known to the Barossa community as a free spirit, sharp thinker, and risk-taker, he’s never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Josh’s journey into technology was anything but conventional.
“I got into tech in high school, mucking around with computers — not hacking, just causing a bit of trouble,” he laughs. “I lost interest in school pretty quickly and left in Year 9.”
His decision to leave school wasn’t without controversy.
“The principal told my parents I’d never amount to anything if I didn’t go back.”
They couldn’t have been more wrong.
His parents gave him two choices — get a job or study at TAFE.
“I picked TAFE. But I still found ways to avoid too much study. There was a lot of table tennis and volleyball involved,” he admits.
Despite his laid-back approach, at 17, a recruiter called, offering him an IT job.
“I got a call on a Friday, was asked to travel to Kent Town in Adelaide that afternoon and was quizzed about a procurement system I had no experience with. But I could fix computers, so the recruiter gave me the job,” Josh recalls.
“That Sunday night, I was driving six hours to Olympic Dam for my first IT contract – a 17 year old leaving home and hitting the road.”
He smirks. “Mum wasn’t too happy that I was earning more than her at 17.”
That contract led to working directly with BHP.
When two close friends died in car accidents within a short period, Josh knew he had to come home.
“I was living six hours away, and it hit me—I couldn’t be that far from family and friends anymore,” he says.
After a stint working locally, redundancy forced Josh to reassess his future.
“The day I was made redundant was the same day my partner was being induced with our first baby. Sitting in the delivery room, I knew — I never wanted to work for someone else again. I wanted to build something of my own.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
In 2013, Josh started his own IT business, Kodo Technologies, and was soon joined by longtime friend Sam Koerner.
In 2015, a conversation with Sam about the NBN rollout, along with their knowledge of wireless technologies from their amateur radio hobby, sparked an idea.
“We put up a tower to get faster internet for our office. It worked so well that we thought; ‘how cool would it be if we had 100 customers paying us $80 a month?’ We hit that goal in three weeks. Then we aimed for 200. We reached that, too. And the business kept growing.”
“People ask me for advice on starting a business, and I always say, ‘Quit your job and make it work.’ Then you have no choice but to succeed — you’ll find a way.”
- Josh Helbig
By 2016, Beam Internet was born, a fixed wireless service improving connectivity for regional communities. The company became known for community support, securing funding to build fixed wireless towers on Kangaroo Island after the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires.
“We had a great lifestyle and a strong business, but to scale further would take major investment and a mental toll we weren’t willing to take.”
In July 2021, they sold the business to national telecommunications company Swoop.
But after years in corporate life and working for Swoop, burnout set in.
“Starting an IT business, launching an internet company, selling it, and working for the company that bought it — I’d been through the tech waves,” Josh says.
“The idea of being stuck behind a computer for 14 hours a day just wasn’t appealing anymore.”
Josh then bought well-known microbrewery, Rehn Bier, in Tanunda.
“Many people in tech have this fantasy of opening a brewery. For me, it was about doing something completely different, getting away from a computer. Standing and moving.”
Business at Rehn Bier grew, and Josh connected with other brewers to strengthen the local scene. By 2024, he opened a second venue ‘Barossa Ale Haus’ at Nuriootpa.
Even in brewing, his tech skills proved invaluable.
“Brewing is all about precision — problem-solving, fine-tuning processes, thinking methodically. Those are all skills I developed in IT.”
Josh doesn’t keep a calendar, a habit that baffles some but reflects his approach to life.
“I don’t like being locked into times or plans,” he admits. And judging by his success, there might be something to his laid-back, give-it-a-go approach.
“People ask me for advice on starting a business, and I always say, ‘Quit your job and make it work.’ Then you have no choice but to succeed — you’ll find a way.”
From troubleshooting networks to crafting the perfect beer, Josh’s journey has been anything but ordinary. For him, it wasn’t just about changing industries — it was about backing himself, taking the leap, and making it work.
