Top Tips for Starting A Craft Beer Brewery

Are you thinking about starting your own brewing company? Craft breweries have surged in popularity in recent years as people look to enjoy unique, independent beers as opposed to mass-produced lagers. While there is a possibility for great success in this industry and it can be a rewarding area to work in, it has also become incredibly competitive in recent times, and this makes it challenging to succeed without insider knowledge. Here are some tips for starting a craft brewing company which will hopefully help you to stand out and find success with your beers.

Carry Out Deep Research

Much like any new business venture, you always need to carry out market research to get an understanding of the industry. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of doing the minimum during this stage which is a big mistake – instead, you should become an expert and know the industry like the back of your hand so that you know how to find success. A few areas of research that you need to focus on include:

• The history of microbreweries
• The brewing processes
• The different types of beer
• The current state of the industry
• Typical challenges
• What the predicted growth is
• Who your competitors are
• Who the industry leaders are
• Who your target customer is

Create A Business Plan & Secure Funding

Following this, you also need to make sure that you create a detailed business plan which will guide the way and keep you on track during the early days. Additionally, you can use a business plan to secure funding which will help you to cover the various startup costs and allow you to set up a high-quality operation from the very start. A few of the critical startup costs include:

• Premises
• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Software
• Merchandise
• Staff

Create A Strong Brand Identity

One thing that you will notice about all the successful craft beer companies is that they have excellent branding, which sticks in your mind long after you have enjoyed one of their beverages. This will include a memorable name for your brewery and individual beers along with an eye-catching logo and imagery for each beer. Obviously, creativity is essential here so you may want to use the services of a professional or a talented friend.

Create A Strong Online Presence

Leading on from this, your brewery also needs to have a strong online presence in the form of a high-quality, professionally made website. The website should contain information about the company and the beers that you provide, contact details, customer reviews, and possibly even an online store where people can pick up beer from the brewery to target the local area (more on this to come) and buy merchandise. In addition to this, you can use social media to engage with your target customer, show your expertise with high-quality content, and keep people updated with the latest news from the brewery.

Use Digital Marketing

You can then use digital marketing to increase the visibility of your website online and increase brand awareness. You will want to make as many establishments and consumers as aware of your beer as possible and digital marketing is a highly effective way to do this that allows you to expand beyond your local area.

Focus On A Few High-Quality Products

The craft beer scene is huge in places all over the world which means that it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. As opposed to offering several generic, average tasting beers, you are much better off focusing on just one or two unique yet high-quality beers which will help you to stand out and appeal to both consumers and bars. This is challenging, of course, but if you have done enough research, then you should be able to find a gap in the market and know how to make quality beer. 

Invest in The Best Equipment

Leading on from this, you will need to invest in the best equipment if you are to make a high-quality, delicious beer that stands out from the crowd. You need to research what the best equipment and gadgets are, such as horizontal float switches from a specialist so that you can continuously monitor fluid and take action at precisely the right time. Making great beer is a mixture of creativity and science, and this means that you need to think outside the box but also be methodical and accurate through every stage of the brewing process which is only possible with the best equipment.

Get Involved with The Local Community

As a craft brewery, you will mainly be focusing on the local community, so you need to get your name out there and start to build relationships. There are many smart ways to do this, including:

• Going round different pubs, bars, and clubs
• Open up an onsite bar
• Attend local trade events
• Invite people to the brewery (guided tours)
• Look into sponsorship
• Form alliances with other local businesses

Run A Professional Operation

Working in this industry, it is easy to think that you can simply relax, drink beer all day, and have informal arrangements in place. This is not the case, and instead, you need to run your brewery like a business, which will mean being professional at all times and not neglecting the business side of the operation. You may find it beneficial to use software or outsource certain aspects, such as accounting and marketing so that you can direct your efforts on making the beer and creating relationships with your customers. While you certainly can be less formal than in other industries, never come across as unprofessional as you are running a business at the end of the day.

These tips should help you to get started and find some early success with your craft brewery. This can be a great industry to work in and good fun, but it is also highly competitive and hard to stand out which is why you need to keep the above in mind to create a high-quality product and know-how to get your company noticed.