Beer is the favorite beverage to millions across the globe and its popularity has been a constant for millennia. With its powers once ascribed to goddesses and gods, this beverage, which was first mentioned in the oldest fictional story in the world, written on clay tablets with cuneiform script, the 4,000 years-old Assyro-Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh – is nowadays one of the most consumed beverages in the world, along with water, coffee, and tea.
So, it’s no surprise that today there is a lot of potential for profit in the beer industry. Opening a craft brewery is an idea that has passed through a lot of people’s minds. But starting this kind of business and succeeding isn’t an easy task, so simply loving beer isn’t enough.
Step 1 – The Concept and the Brand
If you are serious about opening a brewery, you will have to consider many things, and buying the necessary equipment and supplies is only a small part of it. It takes a lot of planning, strategizing, and learning but in the end, you will end up with your dream job, and hopefully a profitable business.
Now that you are ready to start, the first thing you need is a name and a logo to start building your brand. You also must decide what you are going to offer, and how you will be different than the other breweries in your area.
Step 2 – The Business Plan
Nothing is more important than developing a proper plan when it comes to starting any type of business. Preparing a detailed brewery business plan will help you through all the steps from the concept to the realization. But the usefulness of a business plan doesn’t end with the start of your business. Once you start working, this living document will help you to grow your business and build a successful company.
A successful brewery business plan should include several key parts, including a business overview, business description, market analysis, marketing strategy, and a financial plan. If you are trying to get investors or partners, a well-prepared business plan can determine your success.
Step 3 – The Legal Requirements
Whether you produce alcohol, or simply sell beers, there are a lot of strict rules, regulations, and laws that you need to follow, which may differ from state to state. To register a craft brewery, you will have to learn everything about the state and federal legal requirements and meet all of them. Aside from the location, the necessary permits, licenses, and insurance policies will also depend on the type of brewery you want to start.
Step 4 – The Location and the Locale
The most important thing that you should take into account when you are choosing a location for your brewery, regardless of whether you want to buy, rent, or build a place from scratch, is traffic. Beer-lovers are everywhere but if you choose a poor location, they may not be able to find you, and even with the best beer, your brewery may not succeed in the end.
People are likely to choose places that appeal to them visually, and this can be true for breweries. This is why you should pay a lot of attention to the way your brewery looks. To start, you should choose an interior design style. While any style can be a good choice, rustic, industrial, or bohemian styles seem to be the most suitable ones for breweries.
One element that always seems to go well with beer is wood. This is why many brewery owners opt for wooden furniture, such as benches, tables, bars, shelves, etc. as well as wooden decorative elements.
Step 5 – The Marketing
While choosing the right location can be a great way to start attracting people to your locale, to start strong, you should also focus on creating a good marketing strategy. This should be a combination between traditional promotion and digital marketing. You should also learn how to use social media to popularize your brand. But while all of this may seem easy, when you are starting a business, the best way to reach your goals and attract your target audience is to invest in marketing and hire professionals.
Key Takeaways
If you are a beer lover and you want your own craft brewery, some of the most important things you need include having money and/or funding, knowledge in brewing, finding a place, purchasing brewery equipment, furniture, decorations, and so on.
The beer industry offers a lot of profit opportunities. Whether you have experience in running a business or not, and whether you know how to brew or not, with the necessary resources and a will to spend a lot of time and effort, it’s possible to build and grow a successful brewery.
