What would American culture be today without beer?
It’s a beverage with a long history. There is evidence that citizens of ancient Greece drank fermented beverages regularly.
It has been said that beer lowers our inhibitions. Science is proving that to be true. People drink together to help them bond as a group. After a few beers, a production team is more likely to bond. A family shares funny stories about their past. An awkward first date starts to loosen up and become more fun.
Traditionally, the market has been dominated by a few major companies. It has only been in the last decade that the craft beer revolution has begun.
According to the Craft Brewer’s Association, beer sales rose overall by one percent in 2021. In the same year, craft brewery sales increased by eight percent. Click the link: https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/national-beer-stats/ for more information about this phenomenon.
It is clear that there is lots of room for growth within the craft beer market. Consumers are hungry for something new. They have grown accustomed to a high-quality product that is unique and inventive.
That is where you come in.
Maybe you’re thinking about starting your own brewpub to bring your love of craft beer and inventive fried foods to your hometown. Or maybe you’re already in business and are unable to keep up with the current demand for your product.
Or maybe your friends and family have been raving about your small-scale home-brewed beer for years and you’re wondering whether it would be a smart decision to start making it on a larger scale to bring to the masses.
Perhaps you’re just curious about craft beer and looking to find out more information about this golden liquid.
No matter what brings you here, in this article we’re going to look at points to consider when making a decision about investing in a commercial brewing setup.
Let’s dive in!
Size Considerations
The very first thing you want to consider when looking at investing in a commercial process is the current size of your business.
There are many different sizes of production facilities available.
You may be thinking, “Why wouldn’t I get the largest size available so that my business is able to grow?”
Don’t be naive, do your research. Bigger doesn’t always mean better.
The message is clear: investing too heavily can be a death sentence for your blossoming business.
The best strategy is to take a look at what you might realistically be able to sell over the next two to four years. A setup that is too big for your needs can take up valuable space and capital. That’s money that could be spent on researching your next big hit beer.
For many up-and-coming brewpubs, their main attraction lies in having a unique variety of beers that customers can’t get anywhere else. If you’re just starting out, you will probably want to run smaller batches in order to see what hits and what misses.
Of course, you may already be past this point in your business’s growth. You may be packaging beer for local or even nationwide distribution. In that case, you’ll want to choose a larger system to help you meet your goals.
Home Sweet Home
The next thing you’ll want to do is to take stock of the space you have to work with. Make sure to gather all relevant brewhouse information including the size of your space, the width and metal type of your current plumbing, and your current waste system setup.
You’ll need all of this information in order to find the production setup that is right for you.
Make sure to take note of any unused space. You’ll want to know if there are opportunities for growth in your current space or if you would need to find a new home in order to add on to your setup. This can be very important for the growth of your business.
Check the Market
The last thing you’ll want to do before pulling the trigger on a new production facility is to scout out the marketplace.
Sure, your pub might be bustling with business now, but that could change. With hundreds of new breweries opening every year, you want to be sure that you’re on top of the competition. You may not want to invest in a fifty-beer barrel brewing system if another brewery is opening up right down the street in a couple of weeks.
With a variety of products to suit every need, the right time to purchase a production-size brewing system is whenever you feel you’re ready.
As life starts to return to normal after the effects of the pandemic, you will find that more and more people are looking to get out of the house and enjoy a quality beer in the company of friends. That’s because it’s been scientifically proven that beer helps promote positive social interaction. Click here for more information.
This means that starting your own brewery can help contribute to the positive mental state of your community. Not only that, but you’ll find yourself building a business that you’re passionate about. That’s something we can all say “cheers” to!