Thinking about having a microbrewery? Good call.
Starting your own brewery can be an exciting and fulfilling venture as the craft beer industry continues to grow at a rapid pace!
However, you will need a well-thought-out business plan to start and navigate the intricacies of the brewing process, starting from perfect recipes to scale production and handling logistics.
Need help getting your plan in order?
Not to worry. Explore this brewery business plan that will surely help you get started and guide you on every stage of your business plan writing.
Sounds good? Let’s dive right in!
What is a Brewery Business Plan?
A brewery business plan is a professional document that outlines the entire strategy for starting and running a brewery. It includes business goals, strategies to achieve them, and financial forecasts for the next few years.
It serves as a strategic roadmap for your brewery business, guiding your business’s growth, managing its operations, and securing funding from investors or financial institutions.
Simply put, it’s not just a written document; it’s a detailed blueprint to steer your brewery toward success.
Now that you know what a brewery business plan is, let’s move forward to understand why you need to write one.
Why Do You Need a Brewery Business Plan?
If you’re looking to start a new brewery or expand an existing one, you will need a business plan. It supports you in getting your business off the ground as smoothly and effectively as possible.
Here are a few key reasons why you need a business plan for your brewery:
- A brewery business plan will let you carefully provide all the details about your brewery, including its vision, mission, objectives, product offerings, and operational aspects.
- A comprehensive plan covers startup costs, revenue forecasts, and realistic financial projections that allow you to manage cash flows better and plan for brewery expenses.
- Breweries or any businesses often encounter risks and challenges. At that time, writing a business plan will help you identify potential risks and outline contingency plans for smooth operations and finances.
- Having a well-crafted business plan is vital for securing funds from investors or banks, as it demonstrates your business strategies, financial viability, marketing efforts, and a clear path for growth.
Now, without further ado; let’s explore the primary components of a good business plan.
What to Include in Your Brewery Business Plan?
Once you start preparing a brewery business plan, you should consider including these 9 key sections in your plan:
1. Executive Summary
Your executive summary is the first section of the business plan, providing a quick introduction to the concept and goals of your brewery.
The main purpose of writing an executive summary is to attract potential investors or partners and convince them to keep reading. So, ensure that you make it simple, crisp, and engaging.
Generally, it is written at the end when your entire doc is ready. This is so because it summarizes the most important elements of your brewery business plan.
You may include details about your business idea, the type of brewing company you own, vision-mission statement, target customers, USPs, market opportunity, branding & marketing approach, and financial highlights.
2. Business Overview
As the executive summary would include a brief company overview, the business overview section is your chance to provide an in-depth knowledge of your brewery.
To plan this section, you may consider answering some of the following questions:
- What’s the legal and trade name of your brewery?
- Where is your brewery located? And why have you chosen that area?
- What is the legal structure and size of your brewery?(e.g., LLC, corporation)
- Who are the company owners?
- When and why did you start the brewery business?
- What kind of brewery do you want to open—microbrewery? A brewpub? A taproom brewery? Or a contract brewing company?
Furthermore, you may include details like what milestones have you achieved and what major sales goals you want to reach.
3. Industry & Market Analysis
The industry and market analysis section of business plan provides valuable insights into the brewery industry and the specific market niche in which your brewery intends to operate.
Remember, your market analysis would really impress potential investors or partners if you provide research-backed information in it. For instance,
“The market size of the US brewery industry stood at $34.3 billion and increased 2.8% in 2023, as well as the retail sales of craft beer reaching $28.4 billion.”
In addition to that, you may give readers a thorough understanding of your target market demographics, customer needs, key competitors(both direct & indirect), industry trends, market size & growth potential, and regulatory environment.
4. Sample Menu
Your brewery needs a great product if you want to make it thrive. So, you have to carefully draft this section, as planned menus are crucial for all breweries’ business plans.
You may start by outlining what your brewery will offer, including all the types of brews you plan to produce and serve and the varieties of foods(if any).
For example, there are multiple types of beers to select from(such as sour beers, lagers, stouts, and IPAs), so determine your niche. Also, ensure that your sample menu fits your business concept, like any brewery theme or even specific beer pairings.
If your brewery provides other extra services, including tours or merchandise options, describe them as well.
5. Sales and Marketing Strategy
The sales and marketing plan provides the strategies you’ve planned to reach new customers and keep them coming back to your brewery.
It includes USPs, social media marketing, strong web presence, email marketing, brand positioning, word-of-mouth promotions, loyalty programs, collaborations & networking with other businesses, and many more.
For easy understanding, you may refer to the following marketing strategies used to promote “Hop Haven Brewing Co.”:
Marketing strategies for Hop Haven Brewing Co.
Online marketing
Hop Haven Brewing Co. will launch a professional website that offers easy navigation, showcases your beers, and includes engaging video/blog content. This establishes Hop Haven as a thought leader.
Pre-launching events
Hop Haven Brewing Co. will organize pre-opening events for potential customers, local merchants, and press contacts. This will create buzz and awareness for Hop Haven Brewing Co. in the area.
Social media marketing
Hop Haven actively uses YouTube and social media platforms to share interesting content, including behind-the-scenes brewing processes, live events, and customer experiences.
Local promotions
Hop Haven Brewing invests in advertising via local magazines, newspapers, or radio stations to grow brand recognition in our area.
Partnerships
Hop Haven Brewing Co. tries to partner with local businesses and artisans to produce unique brews or co-host events. Doing so will improve community engagement and increase the customer base.
Sampling
The employees of Hop Haven Brewing Co. will initially offer free beer samples to encourage customers to taste the quality and variety of the beer.
Loyalty programs
Hop Haven presents a membership club, seasonal discounts, or loyalty cards to provide perks, exclusive beers, or discounts to repeat customers.
This section will allow potential investors and partners to understand how you’ll market or promote your brewery once it opens.
6. Operations Plan
The operations plan involves information about the day-to-day business operations required to run your brewery smoothly.
This means you will need to summarize everything from the beer production process to the inventory management and sales tracking. For instance, you may consider asking yourself these questions:
- How many employees do I need to hire?
- What type of equipment/technology is needed for brewery operations?
- How can I manage the brewery’s supply chain, from sourcing raw materials to final product delivery?
- Who will be accountable for the administrative duties?
Answering such questions will help you convey your operational aspects with great precision.
7. Management Team
A strong management team is a key part of a brewery business plan since it outlines the people behind your business. So, you will introduce your management team in this section.
You may highlight the organizational structure, describe the roles and responsibilities of key team members, and provide their resume-styled summary, along with their expertise, qualifications, and the value they bring to your brewery.
Besides, you may give brief bios of your external advisors, consultants, or board members(if applicable).
8. Financial Plan
Preparing a financial plan can be quite stressful but it is the most essential element of your business plan. It contains detailed financial projections and funding requirements, showing investors the financial viability of your brewery.
You may provide monthly financial projections for the first year at least while giving annual projections for the next few (3-5) years.
Following are a few critical statements and reports that you should consider adding to this section:
- Brewery startup costs
- Sales & revenue forecasts
- Profit and loss statement
- Cash flow estimates
- Balance sheet
- Break-even analysis
Moreover, try to explain how you plan to get funding (e.g. SBA loans, private investors, crowdfunding, or asking family or friends), as well as the clear use of those funds.
In short, make a realistic financial plan that investors appreciate and get a better idea of the financial aspects of starting and running a brewery.
9. Appendix
In the appendix, you may attach any supplementary documents or reports that don’t fit into specific sections but support your plan.
It includes location leases, zoning compliance documents, licenses & permits, market research data, resumes of your executive team, supplier contracts, etc.
Download a Sample Brewery Business Plan
Need help writing your brewery business plan? Well, here you can download our free brewery business plan pdf to get started.
This advanced business plan template has been crafted specifically for your brewery business. With step-by-step instructions and examples, it helps you draft your own plan.
Simply import data into your editor and start writing your brewery business plan.
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