WORD TO THE WISE
  Sam Holloway  
President,
Co-Founder
Greetings!
GLOBAL CAN SUPPLY SHRINKING - AB INBEV SILENTLY WRECKING CONSUMER CHOICES
Is it time to break up the duopoly of AB InBev and Molson Coors? A very interesting article published on Slate last week, Breaking Up Budweiser, received a lot of attention as CAS members flooded my inbox with questions about how these giants persistently and skillfully block access to market for small and independent breweries.

Longtime members of Crafting A Strategy know that we are in a constant battle against unfair trade practices, and consolidation among beer wholesalers is simply Big Beer's most recent move. What you may not remember is that back in 2016 we wrote a blog about how rampant consolidation could indicate that craft beer was actually winning. Borrowing from Professor Nicco Mele (University of Southern California), we posited that the end of Big Beer was indeed possible... but they aren't going down without a fight.

The current haymaker from big beer is to constrict access to aluminum cans. As reported in Brewbound last week, the 12 oz aluminum can supply is vanishing. In a time with no draft sales and bars closing again due to increasing coronavirus outbreaks, small craft breweries had better have a game plan to access cans. Fortunately, we brought this issue to our members' attention over three months ago (April 4, 2020) (Private forum - Members only).

For all small craft breweries, it is time to make your moves and access can supplies or you won't be able to move beer.
(Image Credit: Slate.com)
SAM HOLLOWAY SPEAKS UP: HOW MOBILE BEER ORDERING AND HOME DELIVERY ARE SHIFTING THE BALANCE OF POWER
Last week, I had the honor of speaking with Clare Burnett of Australia's Brews News. Clare asked some great questions about how small breweries were adapting to online beer sales as a result of COVID-19 and in my deliberations about best practices a new revelation dawned on me: Online beer ordering and home delivery completely outflank the largest breweries and their anticompetitive practices to consolidate wholesalers.

Craft beer is stronger the more fragmented we are. Craft beer is better the more diverse we are. Read this article today where I discuss how increasing fragmentation, led by mobile beer ordering, offers a path forward for any craft brewery anywhere in the world.
EXPANSION PLANS DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

What is going to happen this fall when the PPP loan program stops, when state governments stop prohibiting real estate evictions, and when mortgage lenders finally put the clamps down on mortgages in forbearance? If you aren't planning to survive these realities, you need to start now!

It's time to think about opportunities to reorganize your business for long term success. Maybe you want to open a new taproom in a different state, but instead of taking all the risk yourself you would prefer to go in with a new partner, perhaps another brewery you respect? With draft sales in bars and restaurants uncertain and aluminum can supply dwindling, how can you survive and grow? I had a super interesting conversation with a CAS member this week and it reminded me of some old forum threads that were begun pre-COVID but still offer A TON of advice for growth minded beer business entrepreneurs:

LATEST UPLOADS
External Content:
Breaking Up Budweiser (Slate.com)

New Video:

Most Active Forum Thread:

Updated Resource Page:
(Publicly Available)
WHAT'S BREWING
OAKSHIRE BREWING RELEASES "NO GHOSTS" TANGERINE SOUR

Inspired by memories of trading drinks at lunchtime, Oakshire Brewing (Eugene, Oregon USA) brings back it's neon green tangerine sour for distribution across its networks in summer 2020. Originally released as an ode to "ectoplasm" from the 1980s movie Ghostbusters, this new version offers thirsty beer drinkers a chance to recall their youth and enjoy summer. More from Oakshire Brewing's press release:

"Brewed as an evocation of the playground days long ago, inspiration for No Ghosts comes from a school lunch trading legend”, says Director of Brewing Operations Dan Russo. “Considered the pinnacle of lunch bag favorites, a drink that had its packaging adorned with the image of a slimy green ghost and a flavor said to be tangerine and orange but its liquid was bright neon green”.

Image Credit: Oakshire Brewing
FEATURED MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Tamara and Peter Gerber
Pioneer Brewing
Orange, New South Wales
Australia
I love it when my job allows me to travel and to meet new people who have dedicated their lives and their livelihoods to craft beer. I have often dreamed about what a 100% zero carbon footprint craft brewery would look like and it always involved a farm to raise the ingredients, solar power to run the production facility, and back-breaking work coupled with passion and a sense of humor to survive the inevitable challenges of brewing beer this way. I must say, Tamara and Pete Gerber embody just about every bit of this dream, but for them it is a wonderful reality. Except Pete ended up breaking his leg instead of his back - which I believe is a good thing ?!? Thank you, Gerber Family for joining CAS and serving as an inspiration for brewing entrepreneurs around the world!
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