78 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS As beer enthusiasts themselves, Zoedale love getting involved in the communities of the industries they supply so the company decided to run an event for brewers in Manchester. The event raised funds and awareness for Mustard Tree Charity, helping Manchester’s Homeless and people trapped in poverty. The event was held in the Beer House of local brewery, Seven Brothers. It was an informal affair and delegates were met with free beers on arrival and a chance to catch up with industry peers before the sessions kicked off. First up was Steve Dunkley from local brewery, Beer Nouveau. Steve explained that he has been brewing beer since the age of 14 (yes, it is legal to brew and consume your own beer at this age) then moved on to how he made the jump to commercial brewing. Steve’s session was in depth and provided a step-by-step guide to setting up a brewery from a regulatory point of view. Next was one of the Seven Brothers Keith McAvoy who talked about Crowdfunding. Having successfully raised a sum of money to invest in their own brewery, Keith talked about the different platforms available, how to prepare a pitch, how to decide what equity to give away, what rewards to offer and how to plan to invest the cash. The session was interesting and very useful to anyone thinking of Crowdfunding. There was a short break for more free beers and some delicious snack food, paid for by Orchestrated Beer. James Bleakley from Kegstar UK took the next session and discussed how you can upscale your brewery to meet demand without investing in a fleet of kegs and casks. Missing or lost kegs and casks cost the industry £50M per year. James explained how Kegstar works – pre-order the kegs you think you will need, the kegs get delivered to you to fill with your produce then distribute to your outlets; they scan the code on the kegs once they need them collecting and the whole cycle starts again. Lastly, Ben Crow from Orchestrated Beer talked about how this clever software, based on market leader SAP Business One, can streamline your brewery production and make you more efficient. This is the software used by the likes of BrewDog, Camden Town and many more and is now available in an affordable pay monthly package that is scaled to your brewery. The software handles everything from Accounting, Stock Management & Recipes, Production, Purchasing, Sales & Shipments, Planning & Scheduling, Quality Control and Brewery Reporting. There were more beers and a raffle! Prizes were donated by Zoedale Ltd and ranged from a set of Marsden B100 Bench Scales to boxes of Seven Brothers Craft Beer. The event raised nearly £350 for Mustard Tree and all the delegates said they enjoyed it and got some use out of the afternoon. Next year Zoedale plans to run a similar event in London. Northwest brewers meet up Is your brand equipped for the future? asks Myles Pinfold, WPA Pinfold The brewing equipment suppliers must be thinking every day is Christmas - brewers everywhere appear to be expanding, whilst more and more start-ups are entering the market. Over the years I’ve noticed that the brewing sector seems to act at one and the same time, and in the last decade it’s become an even more reactive industry – one brewer starts a trend and before you know it everyone else appears to be doing the same. Reactive might be good in certain circumstances, however proactive is better. For brand planning you need to be thinking up to three years ahead and mapping your journey accordingly. The aim is to be predictive and one step ahead of the game. Sometimes it is better to ‘zag’ when everyone else is ‘zigging’. Your brand strategy can help to future proof your business by building around the key strategic deliverables: • Product - Ensure your beers are fit for market – flavoured beers are currently trending, how relevant is this to your operation and what of future trends? • Price – it’s never been a better time to be in brewing, pricing has become premium and beer has a much wider reach (young and old, male and female, rich and poor) - you need to be clear about where your brand is positioned. • Place – where are the easy wins and what are your stand-out qualities. • Promotion – understanding your routes to market and planning around the most effective media channels and platforms are key to achieving best return on investment. To succeed in tomorrow’s market you should start planning today and you need a brand and value proposition that engages your target market. Might sound simple in theory, but believe you me, it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears - get it right and it will keep you well equipped for the future. INDUSTRY DISCUSSION News www.wpa-pinfold.co.uk For more information visit: www.zoedale.co.uk For more information visit: 78_Layout 1 13/11/2017 13:19 Page 1