Have you ever made craft beer at home? Do you believe your product has something different to current beverage options on the market? Do you possess the desire, passion, and drive to run your very own business?
If you have answered positively to those questions, now might be the time to start your very own craft brewing company.
There are certainly aspects going in your favour. The craft beer industry is currently going through a boom period with no signs of slowing down. Plus the increase in affordable technology has made the manufacturing process much more affordable for newcomers.
There are, however, various pitfalls you need to avoid – otherwise your craft brewing dream will quickly die off without a whimper. To get going on the right path, here are four tips for starting a successful craft brewing company:
1. Settle on a niche
The popularity of craft beer is a double-edged sword. In one sense, you know there’s a large potential audience for your beverage. Yet due to the amount of craft beer options available, you start out fighting an uphill battle to get noticed.
Due to this, it’s essential you avoid creating a generic craft beer. There needs to be a unique selling point that will get customers choosing your drink over others on store shelves.
The difficulty with this is: how do you differentiate without going too far and alienating the target market? As inspiration, look at current market trends and try to implement this within your beverage. For instance, low-calorie craft beers have been all the craze recently.
2. Understand your budget and costs
Even though technology has lowered the entry point for would-be craft brewers, it still requires considerable investment to get up and running. When applying for financing, you will need to factor in a number of costs, including:
- All the equipment to create the brewery
- Permit, bond, and license fees
- Rent for premises
- Insurance premiums
- Ingredients for producing the beer
- Utilities
- Cleaning supplies
- Marketing
- Employee wages (if applicable)
Your startup costs will be considerable, but you also have to factor in the ongoing expenses. Ensure you have enough finances to be able to cover these ongoing costs, as you won’t be earning anything during the start of your craft brewery adventure.
3. Create your brewery
Creating a brewery requires patience, knowledge, and many different components. It’s the latter point which can be most confusing for newcomers to brewing. For instance, you will know about the usual pieces of equipment such as barrels and heat sources.
Yet it is the smaller components which can make all the difference.
Something as seemingly simple as a multi-level float switch, which measures fluid levels with accuracy and at different points, could significantly boost efficiency levels. If you utilize the expertise of professional multi level sensor engineers, they will be able to produce a bespoke float switch to match your needs.
4. Packaging and promotion
The packaging of your craft beer is integral to generating sales. You might have the best craft beer in the world, but potential customers won’t know that. The only thing they will be sold on is the packaging.
As a result, you need to invest in producing packaging that stands out from the crowd – or in this case, the other bottles and cans it will be sat next to on the shelves. Bold colors, creative typography, and unique design are points to consider.
