This first month of 2024 on The True Craft Podcast has been filled with fascinating conversations with four guests around the nation in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin.
From craft beer and cider to food programming and upcycling, this first month ran the gamut of intriguing and meaningful experiences currently happening in craft.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at what this month offered:
Expand your audience to include next-gen drinkers and families
This month we touched on a topic that has become fairly top-of-mind in the discussions we have on the podcast: the next generation of craft beer drinkers.
When we sat down with Richard Fennell of Craft & Growler Brewing out of Dallas, TX, Chris and Katy asked for his thoughts on what to do when trying to appeal to the next generation:
And lot of breweries are doing it by their aesthetic—the brand—and then the events they hold, and the cool stuff that they do.
And if we peel back another layer, it’s one thing to appeal to the next generation of craft drinkers, but what about widening the consumer audience and introducing younger (not-of-drinking-age) customers to your brewery’s ecosystem? Michelle Tressler, Co-Founder of Hinterland Beer & Restaurant, shared a perspective surrounding this inclusivity:
When you start to approach hospitality and what you're serving, it's really nice to include whole families, including individuals in the group who may not drink. They may drink different things. And there’s a little bit of a variety of inclusivity when it comes to the food you serve as well.
If we're talking about growing a business in an industry that's maybe on a down trend, you're going to look for growth in a wider audience rather than a more narrow one, typically.
Draw customers in with consistent programming and incredible food
The old adage “consistency is key” couldn’t be more true when it comes to programming and telling your customers that they have a reliable “third place” to call their space outside of their home and office.
Adam Ruhland, Co-Founder & Co-Owner of Wild State Cider, explained that offering a variety of consistent programming has netted them favorable results:
And what we found is all that stuff works.
It's important probably to anyone [in craft]. But in cider, you just don't have a crowd that just wants to go and grab a cider. People have to seek it out. It’s not on the radar for everyone. So, getting them to come in for another reason usually helps.
But what if you add in another layer to that consistent programming? Michelle Tressler shared insight from her experience of over 25 years in the craft and restaurant industry.
It’s the idea that we can get craft everywhere! Every single place you go, you can get a craft beer now. You don't need to go to a craft brewery's taproom necessarily to get a craft beer. So, I think if you want to draw people there, you might as well show that you really understand flavor and do beer pairings and say, “What tastes great with our barrel aged sour?”
Not every brewery owner is a chef and Michelle acknowledges this, but it’s imperative to develop a food program that makes sense for your market. It can carry you through downturns in the industry and, as Michelle says, “It’s what’s given us longevity.”
(Actually) live up to your values
Our fascinating conversation with Russell Heissner, Founder of Barrel House Z, gave us a glimpse into how he views the future of craft and what it means to live up to your company values.
Russ has a passion for real sustainability and using technology to truly elevate craft’s future:
Additionally, in recent years, visible sustainability efforts have become a major consumer desire when deciding to support companies. Saving money AND listening to consumer wants while investing in a sustainable future? A positive double whammy of epic proportions.
Russ and the Barrel House Z team are actively fine-tuning the technology that will eventually be licensable by other breweries and distilleries. The license package will come with an operation manual and a recipe book, encouraging licensees to create and distribute their own sustainably-focused products.
And when it comes to company culture, Michelle Tressler of Hinterland succinctly summed up the importance of a company’s values, especially as they grow into a larger operation:
And that concludes our first 2024 edition of The True Craft Podcast Recap!
If you’re interested in joining in on the discussions we are having, reach out to our co-host Katy Noel at katy@sbstandard.com to express your interest and share any topics that you find could be relevant to the craft experience.
We’ll see you at the end of February for another recap!