Julian Bourne’s Post

Once beer leaves the brewery, it’s in a distributor’s or retailer’s hands. However, that doesn’t mean breweries can’t monitor how it’s being stored, handled, and poured. Self-distributing breweries have more visibility and control over this, of course, but even those with wholesaler contracts should make it a priority to evaluate their beer’s quality in the market and flag any issues. For the Brewing Industry Guide, I dug into the complicated but critical issue of field quality: what small breweries can do, and why it matters. Big thanks to Jessie Polin, Julie Smith, Sean Lawson, Neil Witte, and Stoup Brewing's Jason Bass for speaking with me:

You have to know your brand's value and assert it through your team's daily actions. Consistent communication and accountability from a supplier always conveyed to me that they likely had their act together across the board. If you don't actively demand your brand's value in everything you do, how can you expect anyone else to? The values you demonstrate through your daily operations shape how distributors and retailers perceive and treat your brand. Ensuring quality control and maintaining high standards, even after your product leaves the brewery, shows a commitment to excellence. By consistently upholding your brand's value, you not only protect its integrity but also build strong, respectful relationships with your distribution and retail partners.

"American breweries are currently at about half their capacity. That’s not good! But it’s actually worse that in looks because growth has been dead flat for three years. Were the industry growing, it would need headspace, so to speak, for future expansion. Here’s Bart: “When you’re growing rapidly, excess capacity is a good thing so you can keep up with that growth. Athletic has a lot of excess capacity right now with the purchase of that former Ballast Point facility, but no one thinks that’s an issue. So the ratio in the mid-2010s was different because brewers were rapidly growing into it. As I pointed out in 2015, the 2012 and 2014 ratios look the same, but 2014 production was actually bigger than 2012 total capacity. “So you need to understand the capacity number in the context of its time. If we were growing 18% again right now, even 51% might not be that bad (at 18% you’d use up all that excess capacity in 4 years), but at static or negative growth, it’s a lot worse, because it represents investments that aren’t being utilized.” I don’t have a lot more to add to this, except to say that if you want to open a brewery in the next few years, you might consider starting a contract brewery or alternating proprietorship. Not only would it save you a ton of money at the outset, but you might be doing another brewery a favor in helping them fill up those tanks." https://lnkd.in/esCxj5RU

📸 Brewery in Focus: La Cumbre Brewing Co. Independent agents, here’s a valuable opportunity to learn from La Cumbre Brewing Co., one of New Mexico’s premier breweries. By getting a snapshot into their commitment to quality, community and some of the risks their business faces, you can better serve craft breweries in your portfolio. "Quality is measured in many ways, but to put it as easily as I can, a beer’s quality should be judged by how close the brewer came to their intended target." - Jeffrey Erway, President. Read more about their journey and insights that can help you advise your clients better. #CraftBeer #BrewingIndustry #InsuranceAgents #RiskManagement #QualityBrewing #LaCumbreBrewing 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3Wi2yst

Adding a distillery to a brewing business can be a big leap—but there are synergies that can help the cost and effort pay off. Here’s how getting into craft spirits can add value to your brewery while leveraging costs. https://lnkd.in/gd8jNah9

"American breweries are currently at about half their capacity. That’s not good! But it’s actually worse that in looks because growth has been dead flat for three years. Were the industry growing, it would need headspace, so to speak, for future expansion. Here’s Bart: “When you’re growing rapidly, excess capacity is a good thing so you can keep up with that growth. Athletic has a lot of excess capacity right now with the purchase of that former Ballast Point facility, but no one thinks that’s an issue. So the ratio in the mid-2010s was different because brewers were rapidly growing into it. As I pointed out in 2015, the 2012 and 2014 ratios look the same, but 2014 production was actually bigger than 2012 total capacity. “So you need to understand the capacity number in the context of its time. If we were growing 18% again right now, even 51% might not be that bad (at 18% you’d use up all that excess capacity in 4 years), but at static or negative growth, it’s a lot worse, because it represents investments that aren’t being utilized.” I don’t have a lot more to add to this, except to say that if you want to open a brewery in the next few years, you might consider starting a contract brewery or alternating proprietorship. Not only would it save you a ton of money at the outset, but you might be doing another brewery a favor in helping them fill up those tanks." https://lnkd.in/eyaEsTDA

In today's CBD: Two of the largest Black-owned breweries, California's Crowns & Hops Brewing Co. and Full Circle Brewing Co., have struck a watershed alliance to leverage its members’ strengths and show up at market in a much bigger way. The new shared resources platform is dubbed “Circle of Crowns Beverage Group” (CCBG). The alliance “combines two leading Black-owned brands and centralizes production, sales and marketing between the two companies,” per announcement. Production will be centralized at Full Circle. Currently, the brands produce about 10,000 barrels collectively. It’s about “unlocking untapped opportunities” in the craft market, by "leveraging retail and venue diversity programs." Historically, Black suppliers have lacked the infrastructure to address these opportunities on a wide scale. CCBG also includes the historic Speakeasy Ales & Lagers brand, one of the oldest in San Francisco, and Sonoma Cider. "As you know, there's 9,000-plus breweries out there, and there's only 1% that are Black-owned," Arthur Moye, Full Circle founder, told CBD. "And I think, during a good period of the last half a decade or so, people have wanted to support Black-owned businesses. So you have major retailers reaching out to those 1%; you have distributors reaching out to those 1%; but then there hasn't been a structure by which they could significantly respond, because that 1% is mostly represented by people that don't have production facilities and can't create the margins and the economies of scale to sit on the shelves throughout the distribution networks of the chains." This starts to solve that. More here, we left the story open to all. https://lnkd.in/gsHErbeK

CBP CONNECTS: Portland, ME June 10-12 "Beer Before Liquor: Adding a Distillery to Your Brewery" Panelists: Bill Heafy (ABS Commercial) Eric Meyer (Cahaba Brewing) John Quade (Batson River Brewing & Distillery) Matt Albrecht (River Drive Cooperage) Craft beer is all about innovation and more breweries are diversifying their product lineup to reach more potential customers. As you seek to grow, expand your audience, and increase profits, adding a distillery may be something to consider. We will dive into why our panelists chose this model, strategies for success, lessons they’ve learned, and items for you to consider if looking into a similar concept. In this session, we will explore the strategic considerations, potential opportunities, and operational challenges of seamlessly integrating a distillery into your existing brewery. Register now: http://cbpconnects.com/

Saving money doesn't have to be so hard. 💰 This mosaic is £6.90 p/kg less than the spot market Does that sound like a lot? Let's work it out. Brewing Trade Price = £25.20 p/kg Spot Market Price = £32.10 p/kg £6.90 difference 👌 Brewing Trade Price = £126 p/5kg Spot Market Price = £160.50 p/5kg £34.50 difference 👍 Brewing Trade Price = £504 p/20kg Spot Market Price = £642 p/20kg £138 difference 💪 Or put it like this. With Brewing Trade you would get 25.5kg of hops for the same price as you would get 20kg on the spot market. That's 5.5kg hops 'for free' 🤯 All of this comes with: 🚚 48-hour dispatch (if hops are 'at brewery') 👍100% money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the quality of your hops 📦 MOQ is just 5kg. Making it accessible for all breweries We really believe in this new way of purchasing hops, join the revolution ✊

Lager led boost for Coopers defies national downturn A new lager beer release has fuelled strong sales growth for Australia’s largest independently owned brewer Coopers Brewery. The launch of Coopers Australian Lager has helped family-owned Coopers to post a 1.5 percent rise in total beer sales for the 2024 financial year, defying a year on year 2,.6 percent decline in total Australian beer sales. Coopers’ beer sales, excluding non-alcoholic beers, hit 78.7 million litres, up from 77.6 million litres the previous year. Profit-before-tax for the 2024 financial year was $32.8 million, compared with $28.5 million the previous year. #manufacturing #brewing @coopersbrewery Coopers Brewery https://lnkd.in/gChYdzDR