The Beer market is brewing and buzzing with several brands offering mass products, craft, and local beers for beer consumers. In India, the cult of beer drinking and making is gaining traction. New products and offerings are being introduced by beer start-ups and entrepreneurs to woo customers.
Starting a beer brand in a crowded marketplace requires a lot more from you. It has been observed that often beer fans turn themselves into entrepreneurs, but they get tumbled down in the middle of their journey. As a result of its creator’s unpreparedness, the spirit of unlocking the finest beer for the world is missed.
Some common mistakes that are made while setting up a beer brand are:
1) Don’t Know the Craft-
Drinking Beer and Crafting a Beer are two different things. It is not a rush and hush business; overexcitement makes business people miss the true meaning of brewing beer. It takes patience and an understanding of chemistry to make beer. Local breweries are the best way to know what is getting picked up. Everyone loves beer with authenticity, unique flavour, and personality.
2) Are You Ready?-
Running a successful entity is a dream for many. Every dream needs a strong foundation and homework to keep you prepared for unexpected challenges. Young entrepreneurs often miss out on many intricate details of starting a venture and the legalities behind it. It is a must to work on the licensing part of your brewery depending on the scale of your operations. Like in India, different states are following set clear guidelines for the setting up of a microbrewery, with complete excise policies.
3) Undertrained Manpower-
As it is said that the quality of the beer isn’t the only measure of success for brewery visits. Your undertrained staff can not represent your perfect Brew story to the world. Your efficient staff represents your Brew story in some way or the other. Right from the R& D team to the brand team they should be expressive in narrating the mastery of beer making at your place. Your product has to stand out on the shelf with its story. Today a consumer wants to dive deep into the sensory world of Beer and gain a deep understanding of the brewing process to make their choices for the times to come.
4) The Mismatch Set up-
If you want your brand to promise the best Beer experience to its consumers. Your manufacturing setup should be home to the best quality equipment. Budding business owners should not shy away from learning about the intricacies of the industry by expanding their gamut of knowledge, visits to trade shows, following thought leaders, and making choices.
Running an entity and building a brand is a joyous task if you work and prepare yourself in the best way. The world is full of awesome places that serve amazing beer and at times a new brand on the block gives tough competition to old names because of its newness and uniqueness.
The thought of establishing a brand is just the first step. As the name grows, the brands must learn more about their consumers, flavours, trends, competitors, and more.
By Avneet Singh, Founder, Medusa Beverages Pvt Ltd