CBP Spring Virtual Conference Detailed Schedule

Monday, April 3

presented by Aseptic Fruit Purees

11am – Welcome

Andrew Coplon (Craft Beer Professionals/Secret Hopper)

11:10am – Patching Your Leaky Sales Pipeline: Improving The Efficiency of Your Sales Team

Julie Rhodes (Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions)

Sales team? Pipeline? Yes, these concepts apply to you, no matter your production size! The sales team could be just you (the owner/operator) or your solo sales rep, but regardless of how many bodies you have representing your brand in the wholesale channel, you need to make sure that time spent in the market is used efficiently and effectively. In today’s competitive marketplace, sales skills and strategic systems are more important than ever. Join me for a sales boot camp of sorts where you will learn how to sell by science and process, be able to build SOPs for your sales team, and how to make sure that you don’t have a leaky sales pipeline.

12pm - Pitfalls of Buying (or Selling) a Brewery

John Szymankiewicz (Beer Law Center)

We're continuing to see consolidation in the craft beer industry, especially among independent breweries. Some people are looking to exit the industry, some are looking to break in. And, right now, it may be cheaper to buy a brewery than to start or build one. But there are some real dangers to consider when you're looking at a transaction. From financing to due diligence to closing the transaction - it's not as simple as you might think. Don't make a mistake that can tank the business. This presentation will walk through the overall process, from Letter of Intent to Closing, and highlight the risks you should consider or mitigate.

12:30pm - The Massive Opportunities For Content Creating Brewers

Adam Mills (Cartridge Brewing)

In this talk, we will discuss the wide range of benefits for both breweries and brewers, when brewhouse staff creates video content for Youtube and other social media platforms. Creating video content for YouTube is a great way for brewers to connect with their customers, build their personal brand, and differentiate the company's brand from the competition. Launching this type of initiative does not require significant capital expenditure, and the rewards can be significant. I will explain the path I took in my content creation journey, and present the blueprint I used to grow my online presence.

1pm - How Do I Know I’m Making Good Beer?

Panelists: Erik Fowler (Education & Brewery Experience Manager, White Labs), Jon Hughes (PhD, Director of Brewing and Sensory Science, UC Davis Continuing & Professional Education), Lindsay Barr (Founding Partner, CSO, DraughtLab Sensory Software), Melissa Antone Timm (Quality & Sensory Specialist), Neil Witte (Cicerone Certification Program)

Moderator: Laura Lodge (Start A Brewery)

Every brewery needs to know when their beer is oxidized, infected, contaminated, or otherwise NOT good, so join us to discuss the internal systems, controls, resources, and support that's out there to help you make sure your beer is clean, of quality, and making it to the customer's glass successfully.

1:30pm - Claims Stories and the Nightmare of Improper Brewery Insurance

Joey Broms (Baer Insurance Services, Inc.)

During this presentation, I will be leading a spooky discussion of three separate claims stories that have happened to other breweries. These claim examples will cover three basic items of securing the insurance for brewers. There are many risks inherent in the brewery process and you deserve to know what they are and how to make sure you are covered before you have a loss. The three ghost stories I will be discussing are:

• • The Wild Wild Yeast
  • Careful Where You Keg Stand
  • Too Hot to Handle

2pm - Saving Green by Going Green at Your Brewery

Kathy Black (New Hampshire DES - Sustainable Craft Beverage Program), Meghann Quinn (Virginia DEQ - Office of Pollution Prevention), Rayna Oliker (Colorado CDPHE - Green Business Network Administrator)

Join representatives from multiple states to find out what opportunities are available for breweries to gain efficiencies through better environmental practices. Many states offer assistance to brewers to find ways to reduce water and energy usage. These programs can help you…
Improve profitability while minimizing environmental impacts.

• • Create a culture of sustainability by empowering employees to drive the effort.
  • Minimize natural resource usage.
  • Provide a safer work environment.
  • Add value to your local community.
  • Protect supply chain ingredients.
  • Attract and retain high quality employees.
  • Enhance your image as a responsible craft beverage producer.

Representatives from Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia will describe opportunities available in each state and help point others to opportunities in their states when available.

2:30pm - Using Brewery Production Data to Evaluate Finances, COGS, Product Traceability, and KPIs

Pulkit Agrawal (Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient)

In this talk, PK will present on 4 key topics that tie in with key financial practices for your brewery. (1) Going over the different methods of accounting syncing and setting up charts of accounts. (2) Evaluating methodologies for calculating COGS especially with split batching and merging. (3) Evaluating the importance of lot traceability and sales traceability for raw materials and package supplies, in case there is ever a product recall. And (4) Setting metrics for KPI trackings for the finances for your brewery with targets and variances.”

3pm - NA Beers: No Alcohol, Many Compliance Concerns

Alex Koral (Sovos ShipCompliant)

"The growth in the non-alcoholic adult drinks category has everyone’s attention, with Global Market Insights projecting it to grow to $30 billion by 2025. First Key reports that dollar sales of non-alcohol (NA) beer, wine, and spirits brands doubled between 2020 and 2022, with NA beer accounting for over 80% of that category.

While NA beers contain scant or no alcohol, they still come with a variety of compliance concerns, not all of which may be expected or simple to parse. This session will cover:

• • How is NA beer regulated by alcohol control boards, including licensing, taxes and distribution restrictions
  • How to properly label NA beer, including FDA requirements
  • How—and if—NA beer can be sold by alcohol retailers"

3:30pm - Creating Your Purchasing Playbook: 3 Initiatives for Any Size Brewery

Dan Klasen (Beer and Wine Federation)

This presentation is about helping ‘craft owners/operators' accomplish two things, 1) creating a purchasing playbook for their business and 2) developing clear near-term actions they can take back to their brewery/distillery/etc. The discussion starts with outlining how organizations can use a few simple documents to create the necessary data to drive a procurement process. Specifically, starting to outline their current state of costs; what are they buying, from who, per unit cost, etc. (Free downloadable template to be provided)

With both a playbook and content/data established – Negotiating is the next topic. Many people are uncomfortable with negotiating. This presentation will touch on reframing this approach to working with your suppliers. Less on either, ‘us vs them’ or the ‘supplier friendship’ issue and more on approaching negotiation with transparency. Also, we’ll review a host of things that a small craft business can negotiate on besides just price.

Lastly, rounding out the purchasing playbook discussion is how to think of cost savings exercises as important as increasing sales. Now, more than ever, it’s critical for the craft industry to realize that the challenges of supply chain, inflation, and increased competition aren’t going away. But cost reduction measures can help organizations avoid the trap of working harder for less money. A purchasing playbook can be a great tool to help you do more in years to come without impacting your craft. We’ll share benchmark percentages for running a lean operation that creates a foundation to build on.

Who should attend? New craft owners, those thinking to start a business, or legacy craft experts - all could find a tip or two on how to create/update their playbook to address the challenges ahead for 2023.

4pm - Can Do: Navigating Production and Packaging as a Small Brewery

Don Marcil (Stout Tanks and Kettles) and Garett Lockhart (Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems)

Join Don Marcil of Stout Tanks & Kettles and Garett Lockhart of Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems as they discuss the most important elements of brewery business growth.

Production and packaging go hand in hand to determine the amount of revenue your business can generate as well as the reach of your brand. Follow along as these two industry professionals discuss distribution and the benefits it provides to your business, as well as the potential pitfalls. Why should I package my beer? How do I know if my business is ready to get into distribution? What options are available for small breweries? What materials are involved?

Packaging technology gets better each year. Take some time to learn about where the industry is evolving, and plan your next steps as a business. With proper planning, you can set up your production space for effective packaging and distribution. In order to bring new people to your business, your beer needs to be on the shelves somewhere, making new friends. Let the experts help you map it out.

Stout Tanks is located and Portland, OR, and makes quality equipment that brewers can afford. They are one of the leading suppliers of brewing equipment to the craft beverage industry. By working alongside customers, the Stout Tanks team has been involved in the design, engineering, and delivery of thousands of successful brewing systems across the world.

Don left his life as a graphic artist to pursue his dream of brewing beer. He enrolled in the American Brewers Guild in 2009 and did a 5 week apprenticeship in Portland Oregon at Hopworks Urban Brewery. In 2010 he was working from the bottom up washing kegs, cleaning brite tanks and fermentation vessels, packaging and finally mastering the hot side operations. During the 1000’s of batches brewed, Don was fortunate to learn many styles, techniques and gain the friendship of some incredible brewers.

Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems Inc. was founded to solve problems. The founders used their background knowledge in brewing and engineering to reimagine canning technology. Twin Monkeys was born in Denver, CO in 2015, and has been improving craft canning ever since.

Garett Lockhart decided it was time for a career change in 2010 and pursued his dream of becoming a brewer and volunteered at 5 Seasons Brewpub in Atlanta. After a couple months of volunteering, he attended brewing school at the Siebel Institute of Technology. Shortly after finishing Siebel, he got an entry level production position with Red Brick/Atlanta Brewing. After a few months he began brewing and then became Brewmaster in 2013. In 2015 he was promoted to president. In 2021 Garett accepted a position with Twin Monkeys to help brewers with their canning goals.

5pm - 2023 Employee Satisfaction Report Presentation

Michael Varda (Craft Beer Advisory Services)

Craft Beer Professionals is partnering with Craft Beer Advisory Services to complete an industry-level report on employee satisfaction trends.

Join us for a presentation of the data, a look at trends, and insight into the state of employee satisfaction in our industry.