It’s 2022 and craft beer is more popular than ever. In fact, the Brewers Association reports that at the end of 2016 there were over 5,000 breweries operating across the United States. A new one opens every 16 hours! As a result, 39% of adults say that they drink beer regularly or occasionally. Even non-beer drinkers have been known to crack a cold one from time to time just for something different. With all these people drinking, you’re probably wondering…
Why not start a microbrewery?
But before you do so, here are a few things to consider:
Do You Have the Time?
Of course, this depends on how much spare time you have after work and family obligations. But in order to make your brewery a true success, you’re going to need some more time than just the weekends. That’s why it’s important that you get someone else to run the day-to-day operations of the business while you concentrate on what really matters: making great beer.
Is Your Location Right?
Even if you have all the brewing equipment and experience of a master brewer, no one is going to travel far for your product until they know it’s worth it. Craft breweries are always popping up in small communities thanks to local support. If there is little interest in craft beer in your area, then you’ll need more than luck to be successful. On the other hand, choosing an area with lots of craft beer drinkers and breweries is a much safer bet.
Is There Enough of a Market?
Craft beer drinkers are unapologetic snobs when it comes to their ale, so you’ll need to make sure the quality is up to par. This means you should plan on investing in pricey equipment such as mash tunes, hot liquor tanks, fermenters, bright tanks and conical fermenters before even thinking about selling your first pint. After all, you wouldn’t want anyone saying that your beer didn’t live up to its full potential.
Can You Get a Loan?
If you’re starting from scratch then there’s no doubt that you’re going to need some start-up capital in order to get the ball rolling. The good news is that the Small Business Association offers loans to businesses just like yours, so it’s worth looking into.
How is Your Location?
According to Paul Haarman your location will have an impact on just about everything from choosing a name for your brewery to building a website that can be accessed by customers across the country or even the globe. The last thing you want is for potential customers to get lost when they’re trying to find your business! Building a great website is a key in getting exposure, so it’s important that you choose a domain name and hosting service that allow search engines to “crawl” your site so you can get more traffic. Once people are on your site, make sure they have every opportunity to leave their email addresses so you can market directly them via newsletters and relevant content.
Is Your Name Right?
Choosing a name for your microbrewery is extremely important, especially if you’re interested in getting beer into supermarkets and stores across the country or even around the world. You’ll need a catchy name that can be easily remembered and suggests what your brewery will be specializing in! A great domain name will go a long way towards achieving these goals while also giving customers an idea of what they can expect from your business.
Can You Handle Competition?
Craft beers have been known to divide some drinkers into camps of “believers” and “haters”, so it’s important that you stay true to yourself when developing your recipes. In fact, some breweries have been accused of faking their independent spirit with big corporate backing, so make sure you really know what it means to be an “indie” brewer. After all, the most successful craft breweries are those that have actually worked for their success with long hours and devoted employees who love the product they’re selling.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to start your own microbrewery, then you need an awesome logo to go with your brand!
Conclusion by Paul Haarman:
These days, there is a craft brewery on every corner and it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. But if you’ve got the talent and drive to create great tasting beers, then there’s no reason why you can’t open your own microbrewery and become an instant success!
