Most brewery owners dream of scaling up production in a brewery business. Those who have already managed it will agree that running a successful brewery business is not a walk in the park.
The industry is ridiculously competitive. In addition, the high costs of production and operation might limit some brewery owners from scaling up. That notwithstanding, some have been able to scale up production successfully.
So what are they doing? What is the secret behind their success? Here are a few powerful tips for scaling up production in your brewery business:
Build a Solid Following
One of the most important things is building a solid following and demand for your brewery products. This will ensure that you have a ready market and are assured of beating competition from other breweries.
You can do that by coming up with innovative programs with all your business partners. These programs should promote your brand, help you leverage your position in the market, and get everyone excited to work with you.
You can also build strong marketing campaigns to attract loyal customers. Come up with exciting promotions, giveaways, and tastings to keep your customers happy. With a solid following, you will be able to scale up production in your brewery.
Use Specialist Brewery Production Management Software
There is a lot of work that goes on before a beer is ready for consumption. It is easy to forget about a certain process if you are not careful. In addition, keeping tabs on everything from sourcing raw materials to making payments is not easy.
Fortunately, you can make use of technology innovations to help you handle different brewery processes. For instance, you can get brewery production management software from Ollie to help you manage your brewery.
This software comes with different features that allow you to manage payments, inventory, order processing, customer relationships, reporting, and brewery production. This is all done from the same platform, ensuring that you do not have to switch between applications.
Invest in Marketing
Depending on the size of your brewery, you might find yourself in a situation where you have a limited budget to invest in marketing. Some brewery owners have to do almost everything on their own, something that prevents them from scaling up production.
For you to successfully scale up production in your brewery, you need to start seeing marketing as an investment instead of an expense. Ensure that you have set aside enough resources for marketing to create awareness around your brand.
In addition, ensure that you have created a strong online presence. Use social media networks and blogs to let people know about your beer products. You should also create a website for your brewery. Do not forget about the importance of branding and how it can help you gain a footing in your local market.
Be Unique
The brewing industry is very competitive. According to Statista, for instance, the number of brewing companies in the United States has increased steadily since 2012. Small breweries have also increased in number in the same period.
You, therefore, need to ensure that your brewery is unique and different from others for you to survive the stiff competition. For instance, you can brew and age your products in oak cask barrels. This is one way of appealing to modern customers.
You should also come up with unique products. Some brewery owners are combining wine yeasts with beer to create dual alcoholic drinks. Do not forget about packaging. You should make sure that your products stand out when placed on the same shelf as those of your competitors.
Attend Trade Events
Different trade events are held every year for breweries. You will find national conventions in the United States, such as USATT, Craft Beer Conference, GABF, and NBWA, held at different times of the year.
You should ensure that you have attended most of these events. It is here where distributors come to sample different products. Ensure that you are prepared before the trade event you want to attend. Your booth should be well-branded to attract people and convince them to sample your products.
You can also give out merchandise such as glassware, t-shirts, bottle openers, and key chains, among others. In addition, ensure that your representatives understand your products well and are good at marketing.
Scaling up production is a dream for many brewery owners, especially those running small breweries. Even though they might be operating under limited budgets, they can follow the tips discussed above to scale up successfully without any problems.
