Craft beer is under siege ( and its not as fun as the Steven Seagal movie ).
From declining volumes, increased competition, and entry from spirit and wine partners... the landscape is truly now for those dedicated to the art of cervezas and the process behind them.
However there is hope, this year for the first time I visited the Florida Brewers conference in Orlando, FL. This group of courageous individuals are looking for the Freedom of Beer. From the lobbyist grounds of Tallahassee to the steps of your craft brewery, there are some folks behind the scenes pushing boundaries.
I joined this year because I believe we can do things in numbers if we play the game right and I also wanted to double down on my commitment to my craft. We can't be contract brewers forever, and without a clear path to making big margins... I crusaded to learn what the next steps would be.
There are a lot of seminars but here are the ones I joined ( Day One )
- Talking to the Media w/ John Holl of AllAbout Beer.com @mrjohnholl
- Exporting your beer and your resources
- Avoiding the pitfalls of craft brewing
Its important to note that it's not doomsday for beer only an energy shift, one of the most important notes of the day was from my last speaker which showed the correlation that being local is not enough of a viewpoint for drinkers these days, the next generation cares about where the money goes after their glasses are empty.
On that note, we take a lot of pride of being a 1% for the planet member. This means that we donate 1% of ALL OUR SALE to a local non profit. We put our money where our mouth is, companies like Patagonia and Boxed Water are members of this group as well.
We invite you to keep up the rebellion against big big big big business and support those around you. Our generation has let mom and pop companies turn into machines and its our turn to get it back to the families and friends that actually care. This isn't just a beer story, its a Mom and Pop story.
Cheers