Fall Virtual Conference 2025
Get Excited for the CBP Fall 2025 Virtual Conference
Not everyone has the opportunity to attend an in-person beer industry event, which is why we are proud to host two virtual conferences and make the content accessible to all. Pour yourself a cold one and enjoy our free educational sessions from the comfort of your own home, taproom, or brewhouse.
Thank you to our community of Craft Beer Professionals for your excitement, encouragement, and enjoyment of our event.
Huge thanks to TapWyse + Ollie
Full Schedule
For session details, click the buttons below.
All times ET. All sessions 45 minutes.
Monday, October 6
presented by TapWyse
Time (ET)
Monday, October 6
presented by TapWyse
11am
Session details…
A full taproom is a happy taproom, but gone are the days of “If you brew it, they will come.” We need new ideas and strategies. We need profitable marketing programs that are proven to put butts on barstools and make money!
This session is for micro to mid-size brewery owners, GMs, marketing managers and head janitors (because you do all these jobs) who want to implement 10X+ ROI marketing strategies at their breweries. We will look at the most profitable membership programs, proven ways to drive repeat visits and tactics to sell through aging beer more quickly.
No “pie-in-the-sky” or fluffy marketing ideas allowed. Just real-world examples, numbers & best practices. This way you can skip the guesswork and start implementing proven programs right away.
Whether your goal is to grow weekday traffic, launch a paid membership, or turn first-time guests into lifelong fans, you’ll leave with a clear action plan tailored to your brewery.
Ross Stensrud accidentally graduated from UCSD while studying lacrosse and spending plenty of time at O’Brien’s. After a brief stint designing pool cleaners (yes, really) in an effort to justify the cost of his degree, he pivoted and began recruiting smart friends to help build app marketing tech for local businesses—starting with music, then golf, and now craft beer with TapWyse. He lives in Carlsbad with his wife Laurel and their two boys, Roscoe (11) and Mason (9). When he’s not working, you’ll likely find him biking down PCH or shuttling his kids to basketball, golf, music, and skateboarding.
12pm
In today’s challenging beverage landscape, most breweries aren’t chasing overnight success as the next big regional or national player. Instead, growth comes from intentional moves that fit the business. In this panel, you’ll hear from owners who have expanded by adding kitchens, stepping away from distribution, and building private event programs — all without losing control. The right next step might not be bigger, just better for your business.
This conversation features:
Brian Quinn (Atomic Clock Brewing)
Erin Bullard (ONCO Fermentations)
Jessica Kraus (Lost Way Brewery)
Steven Fuller (Wackadoo Brewing)
12:30pm
This presentation explains the various scenarios in which stainless steel equipment can be damaged and how to avoid damaging the equipment by understanding the cause effects. We will also discuss various field examples and how the equipment can be protected and repaired, if necessary.
Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Dirk graduated in Cologne with a degree in business administration. After working for a BASF subsidiary, he joined the Loeffler family business, where he worked in sales, technical services and research and development. In 1992, Dirk came to the United States to lay the groundwork for the US operations of Loeffler which led to the incorporation of Loeffler Chemical Corporation in 1994. Until 2019, Dirk served as the CEO and Technical Director for Loeffler Chemical Corporation. After the company merged in 2019, Dirk left the new company and took a sabbatical and focused on teaching and enjoying some time with his family. In 2024, Dirk founded SEKA Chemicals together with his wife Alexis. As the Executive Vice President of Technical Operations and Sales he continues to develop new products and process technologies for breweries and distilleries.
Dirk lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Alexis and their twin boys Kai and Sebastian. Dirk has been an active member of the Master Brewers Association since 1992 and currently serves as the President for the MBAA Districts Mid-South and Georgia. Dirk is also an active member of the Brewers Association since 1993 and serves on the Board of the German School of Atlanta as Safety & Security Officer.
1pm
In this session we will dive into the world of hemp beverages, exploring the state of the industry, market trends, technical details, and, most importantly, giving you ample time to ask questions! Topics covered will include formulation considerations, production SOPs, navigating the regulatory landscape, and understanding what consumers want in a THC drink.
Attendees will leave the session with checklists to get you from formulation to launch, a rough outline of COGS and ROI modeling, and samples to begin developing a THC drink of your own.” “Ricky is the Revenue Director at Perfectly Dosed. He has worked with hundreds of breweries assess the viability of the hemp beverage market and ultimately scale their THC product lines to 10%+ net new revenue in less than a year. Breweries that work with Perfectly Dosed range from local taprooms to major regional craft breweries.
Perfectly Dosed makes ultra stable and affordable hemp emulsions. We’ve powered over one billion servings and our team of experts would be happy to help you launch and scale your hemp products.
1:30pm
There’s a lot of consolidation in the brewing industry right now. And, there are a lot of people looking to make an exit. We tell clients that, right now, it’s probably cheaper to buy a brewery than to start one. Whether you’re buying or selling there’re thing you need to think about and protections you need to have. From transaction structure to warranties to owner financing to employee issues, there’s a lot to think about. In this presentation we’ll give you best practices for evaluating and completing an alcohol producer/seller purchase or sale transaction.
As an attorney at Beer Law Center, John’s practice centers on the craft beverage industry. Handling everything from business formation to TTB/ABC, to trademark, and buying/selling an alcohol business, John works with clients to help them achieve their personal and business goals. John authored the book Beer Law: What Brewers Need to Know and is a Certified BJCP Judge, holds Level II Certifications in Wine and Beer from WSET, and is the country’s only alcohol attorney who is also a Certified Cicerone. John is based in Raleigh and practices in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.
2pm
Hiring a whole sales team isn’t always realistic, but that doesn’t mean your growth has to stall. This session explores how independent beverage brands can scale sales using lean, digital-first strategies that replace manual processes with intelligent systems. You’ll learn how to blend brand storytelling, targeted marketing, and smart automation to boost both retail and wholesale revenue. Whether you’re self-distributing, working with a wholesaler, or selling direct-to-consumer, you’ll walk away with a practical plan to build a sustainable sales engine that doesn’t rely on cold calls or constant hustle. We’ll cover how to structure a digital sales strategy that complements in-person outreach, as well as how content, email, and automation can be leveraged to nurture leads, drive conversions, and foster long-term customer relationships. You’ll also learn how to generate and track qualified leads with the same tools used by successful, resource-conscious brands across the industry. If you’re an owner or operator looking to sell more without hiring a traditional sales team, this session will help you rethink your approach to sales, replace outdated tactics with effective ones, and provide a clear roadmap for driving revenue growth.
Julie Rhodes is a 20-year veteran of the food and beverage industry, the owner and operator of Not Your Hobby Marketing Solutions, a fractional consulting and educational services company, and the co-founder of Kick Fizz, a low-dose hemp-infused beverage brand. She specializes in beverage sales, digital marketing, distributor management, and business strategy, helping craft beverage brands work smarter, not harder. A sought-after speaker, business journalist, and instructor for multiple university programs, Julie was named the 2023 Brewers Association Mentor of the Year. She is also an active member of numerous trade associations and state-level guilds.
2:30pm
For better or worse, the U.S. beer market is built on top of a sea of excise taxes, which every successful and compliant brewer must learn to navigate. As your brewery grows and enters more state markets, your overall excise tax burden only increases, adding to the confusion and risk of missing something. And, of course, each state has unique rules for how they apply and administer their excise tax systems. Understanding the ins and outs of this burden, from your federal liabilities to the rules of the individual states is critical when expanding your sales footprint across the U.S. Come hear regulatory expert Alex Koral of Sovos ShipCompliant provide a review of the different excise tax rules and scenarios that brewers face.
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex Koral is Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, where he serves as lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation and has become a leading expert on interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at many industry events including the Craft Beer Professionals Virtual Conferences, Craft Brewers Conference, American Craft Spirits Association Convention, as well as meetings for the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.
3pm
Running a craft brewery today isn’t easy—markets are unpredictable, costs are rising, and competition is fierce. The real question is, how do you not just survive, but thrive in all this chaos?
Join us as we tackle the biggest challenges facing craft breweries today—rising raw material and packaging costs, fierce competition, and unpredictable pricing and demand. We’ll break down revenue vs. profit and show you how Ollie can help transform your passion into a profitable, sustainable business. By the end, you’ll leave with clear, actionable strategies to boost profitability and thrive in an ever-changing market.
Dustin Jeffers is a VP, Brewery Product & Experience at Next Glass. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Connecticut and his Master’s Degree from Florida Atlantic University. He has been in the beer industry since 2012, working at Saltwater Brewery as the Head Brewer and Chief Operations Officer, and at 3 Sons Brewing Co. as the Director of Operations. Dustin has been a part of multiple aspects of the brewing industry, including brewing, front-of-house, sales, and operations. Dustin now works for Next Glass, Inc as a Brewery Solutions Consultant discussing all the solutions Next Glass has to offer for the beverage alcohol industry.
3:30pm
Your service staff is tasked with presenting your beers to customers in your taproom or brewpub, which makes each of them ad hoc members of your sales staff. They might be great bartenders or servers, but if they came to you from a restaurant or other hospitality background, they might not know much about beer, and we all know how quickly beer misinformation can spread.
Brewery owners are sometimes reluctant to invest time and money in a staff education program, fearing they’ll have to watch that investment walk out the door if an employee leaves a few months later. However, far more damaging than a trained employee who leaves is an untrained one who sticks around. You give your sales staff the information they need to get your beer into new account, and your service staff needs it to.
In this talk, Advanced Cicerone and beer educator David Nilsen will talk about the benefits of establishing a service-focused beer education program at your brewery and what does and doesn’t need to be included in the program.
David Nilsen (he/him) is a full-time beer writer and educator living near Dayton, Ohio. He’s an Advanced Cicerone© and an award-winning member of the North American Guild of Beer Writers and the British Guild of Beer Writers. He hosts the Bean to Barstool podcast, and is the author of the book Pairing Beer & Chocolate. He’s the co-founder and editor of Final Gravity, a print zine telling personal, human-centered stories from the world of beer. You can find him online at davidnilsenbeer.com and on Bluesky and Instagram as @davidnilsenbeer.
4pm
Business is consistent, staff is solid, cash flow is more than adequate, and I have a great idea/opportunity for another tap room….so should I do it? This feels like the ultimate question for the brewing industry right now, since a significant number of closings seem to be happening on the heels of a major expansion. So what are the best metrics to use when weighing this question (or) any type of major expansion?
We pulled together a panel of industry veterans with different backgrounds to see what their approach would be to this question. They are:
Dustin Hauck of Hauck Architecture looks at the industry through the lens of the budgets, building, infrastructure, and state/county/city regulations for 300+ breweries, and he’s got lists of considerations for you.
Erik Fowler of the San Diego Brewers Guild has traveled the country as an industry educator with brewing roots, and he’s now representing the interests of a very strong American brewing region. He’s seen brewing & business approaches of every stripe.
As the Founder of Central Coast Analytics, Jeremy Carney is revolutionizing how craft breweries interact with data. With 20 years of experience in analytics, he develops cutting-edge data solutions that provide breweries and other industry partners with critical performance insights at their fingertips. His work enables clients to quickly see a holistic overview of their business and effortlessly drill in to uncover actionable insights. Jeremy’s passion lies in helping breweries transform data from a headache into a strategic advantage, empowering breweries to make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Jon Carpenter has worked in beer and beverage for 19 years in areas including engineering & design, NPD & operations, staffing/training, and construction/ installation/ startup of equipment, systems, brands, and facilities. Companies he’s worked directly for include Anheuser-Busch, Dogfish Head, Golden Road, Alchemy & Science/ Boston Beer Co., and Kathinka Engineering & Labs before founding Openso. Openso Consulting creates individualized support for clients across the beverage industry from non-alc beverage & coffee to fermented & distilled products.
Kary Shumway of Beer Business Finance and Kary’s Financial Training has worked with many breweries facing this question, and he sees the world through spreadsheets with financial & growth metrics. Hard to argue with the numbers!
Laura Lodge is the Co-Founder of Start A Brewery, LLC, a business created to help dreamers, breweries in planning, and growing breweries by pulling together educational resources from savvy professionals across the brewing industry. Free to the public, StartABrewery.com divides the daunting process into phases and breaks it down by category, further augmented by a library of information submitted by contributors.
Laura is also the owner of Customized Craft Beer Programs, a consulting business offering industry insight, education, strategic business planning, and more. In addition to developing craft beer programs for destination resorts and helping start-ups, she enjoys curating and hosting creative educational events including the well-known Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Festival. Laura entered the craft beer industry working in the distribution tier, and also consults for breweries and wholesalers about the complexities of distribution. Author of Distribution Insight for the Craft Brewer, Mentor for the Brewers Association Mentorship Program, and recognized as a veteran in the craft beer industry, she splits her time between the Colorado Rocky Mountains and Cleveland, Ohio.
Join us for a deep dive into the search for that Golden Ticket. After all, breweries & chocolate factories have a lot in common!
5pm
We are experiencing an unprecedented talent crisis in the US. We are producing more jobs than we have workers to fill them, companies are now competing for talent across all industries – not just within their own. Engagement is at its lowest in almost 10 years and the expectations among Millennials and GenZ have created the long overdue awakening about what leaders need to do to build engaged and productive teams. See the compelling statistics and learn how, as a leader, you can realize the ROI of talent development and build a more productive and sustainable organization.
Steve Hopkins leads Wipfli’s leadership consulting team within the Organizational Performance group, helping clients grow their people, culture, and organizations. With over a decade of experience in leadership development and executive coaching, Steve builds on a diverse career that includes managing global sales, leading business units, and teaching at the University of Kentucky. He is known for his eclectic background and passion for empowering leaders through frameworks, training, and tools. His consulting approach is thoughtful and thought-provoking, with a focus on enhancing employee performance, team cohesion, and organizational growth.
Tuesday, October 7
Time (ET)
Tuesday, October 7
presented by Ollie
11am
Every big decision comes with lessons, some you are glad you learned and others you wish you could have avoided. In this panel, brewery owners and managers share the moves they have made, from expansions to new revenue streams to tough calls that changed the direction of their business. Hear what worked, what did not, and what they would do differently so you can make smarter moves in your own business.
This conversation features:
Ben Acord (Mucho Aloha Brewhouse)
Mike Garcia (Loose Screw Beer Co.)
Nicole Carrier (Throwback Brewery)
Tyler Forbes (Burzurk Brewing Co.)
12pm
Breweries are under pressure—tight margins, unpredictable production, and old ways of managing inventory, compliance, and procurement that just aren’t cutting it anymore. In this session, we’ll explore how mid-sized breweries can reclaim efficiency and stay competitive using smarter systems, without needing an enterprise IT team.
You’ll hear from Lawson’s Finest Liquids, a regional brewery navigating this transformation firsthand, alongside their technology partners. Together, we’ll break down how integrated solutions have driven automated compliance, smarter purchasing, and greater operational efficiency—while delivering measurable ROI.
Through a panel discussion grounded in real brewery experiences, we will spotlight three high-impact areas where smarter tools are turning friction points into competitive advantages:
1. Automating and backing up TTB and state excise reporting with live data
2. Leveraging Material Requirements Planning (MRP) to improve purchasing decisions and reduce waste
3. Building a business case for moving off QuickBooks and other standalone solutions into more robust, scalable systems
Whether you’re trying to reduce reporting errors, tighten up inventory, or free up your team’s time, this session delivers practical strategies and actionable steps for brewing smarter without overwhelming your budget.
This conversation features:
Alyssa Sorrentino (Lawson’s Finest Liquids)
Anthony Shibata (Wipfli LLP)
Dane Koepke (Wipfli LLP)
Fiona Gray (Lawson’s Finest Liquids)
Randy Smith (Vicinity Software)
12:30pm
We know that you know beer! But what if you’re adding additional product categories? This presentation aims to give you a solid understanding of the rules and regulations around the advertising and marketing of all your brands, alcoholic beer as well as non-alc, spirits and hemp-derived beverage products.
Key Objectives:
- Know what is considered an advertisement and the “Golden Rule” to avoid most TTB/FTC concerns.
- Advertising alcoholic beverage brands and what rules/regulations you are required to follow, including social media and print
- Understand how the rules/regulations may or may not change if you are advertising a spirit, non-alc or hemp derived product?
- Understand where some companies selling only non-alc beer and/or hemp-derived products have more flexibility than you do as a producer of alcoholic beverages.
- How to get the influencers that you work with to understand all of this, or at least what they need to know to keep you from getting into trouble
Shana Metzger, Senior Counsel at Barnes Beverage Group, provides strategic counsel on the full spectrum of commercial operations, from crafting distribution, sales, and expansion strategies to negotiating complex agreements.
Shana excels in drafting and managing distribution contracts, alternating proprietorships, and other key commercial arrangements, in both traditional and emerging beverage sectors. Beyond commercial work, she advises clients on labor and employment issues as well as intellectual property matters, ensuring comprehensive support for client businesses.
1pm
2024 saw more brewery closings than openings. Uncertainty is growing around rising costs and tariffs. Production is down. Consumers are looking for more diverse offerings, including non-alcoholic. Industry associations are promising bright days ahead, while member breweries are not so sure.
Tired promotions and liquid social posts aren’t going to save craft. Throwing more resources and budget at the problem doesn’t make it go away. Festivals and retail demos are drying up. It’s time to start thinking more strategically about sales growth, starting with your marketing plan. Owners and industry experts alike are placing their bets on one simple blueprint:
• Design your website to help drive organic search
• Create content to build community on social media
• Schedule email campaigns for broad calls-to-action
• Develop a branded mobile app for activating individual drinkers
• Leverage AI for operational efficiency
The data is available to help brewery owners and managers take a more thoughtful, deliberate approach to business growth. We’ll discuss how to track marketing efforts using tools like Google Looker Studio and weekly dashboard reporting, as well as best practices for success in each channel. Presentation attendees have access to 10+ Guides with techniques to keep fans engaged and proven tools to fuel excitement around your unique story.
We started Market Your Craft to help small-to-mid-sized producers quickly adapt to the changing Marketing landscape with storytelling. Because we believe every craft brand has an exciting story to share. Led by Scott Kolbe, we’re a team of dreamers and doers, passionate about all things beverage with the creds to match. We’ve created a series of Workshops and Guides to help define your brand story and inform your Marketing efforts. To learn more or to schedule a session with one of our storytelling experts, visit marketyourcraft.com.
1:30pm
Say goodbye to boring spreadsheets and hello to a budgeting process that actually works. In this workshop, we’ll show you how to create a practical, profit-driven brewery budget using real numbers, easy tools, and a dash of fun. You’ll leave with a clear plan, the right templates, and the confidence to take control of your finances. Without falling asleep at the keyboard.
Kary Shumway is the founder of Craft Brewery Financial Training.com and the Beer Business Finance Association which offer online resources for beer industry professionals. He has worked in the beer industry for more than 20 years as a certified public accountant and a chief financial officer for a beer distributor and a brewery.
Craft Brewery Financial Training publishes a free weekly beer industry finance newsletter, offers online training courses on topics such as cash flow planning, financial forecasting, and brewery metrics.
For more information visit www.CraftBreweryFinancialTraining.com.
2pm
Making great beer doesn’t automatically mean you’re ready to lead people—but in most breweries, that’s exactly what happens. Talented brewers, servers, and production crew get promoted into leadership without ever being shown how to actually lead. The result? Frustration, burnout, and team dynamics that drag down quality, morale, and margins.
In this session, you’ll learn three proven leadership tools that will help you coach, challenge, and develop your team—without losing the heart and vibe that make craft beer special. First, we’ll introduce the Support-Challenge Matrix, a simple framework for setting the right tone as a leader. You’ll learn how to be “high support, high challenge” and create a culture of empowerment instead of fear or entitlement.
Then, we’ll walk through the 100X Leader Assessment to help you evaluate not just how well you’re performing, but how well you’re helping others perform. Finally, we’ll break down the Developing Others Square—a step-by-step model to train and grow your team with intention (and avoid the dreaded “Pit of Despair”).
You’ll leave with practical tools you can use right away and an invitation to take the next step through the new Craft Leader Certification, a professional development path built specifically for leaders in the craft beer industry.
Ryan Mayfield is a leadership coach who helps brewery professionals build healthy leaders, strong teams, and thriving cultures. Through Craft Leadership, he equips clients with practical tools to lead with confidence, improve communication, and reduce daily frustrations. Craft has supported top breweries like Other Half, Rhinegeist, and Creature Comforts in navigating leadership and team challenges. Based in Tulsa, Ryan lives with his wife, teenage son, and opinionated beagle, Rooster.
2:30pm
This session will walk you through the key legal steps to build a business that’s ready for investment and eventually for sale. We will dive into the legal side of raising capital. From friends and family to private investors or venture capital. We will demystify the capital raising process – covering commonly used private placement exemptions like Regulation D (Rules 506(b) and 506(c)), basic compliance responsibilities, and the kinds of disclosures and filings that may be required to stay on the right side of the law. Next, we’ll look ahead to your exit strategy. Whether you are planning to retire, sell to a competitor, or transition the business to current owner, we will discuss what makes the business sellable, what buyers expect, how deals are structured, how businesses are valued, and the professionals who can help you do it right. This session is ideal for business owners who want to grow with intention, raise money the right way, and make choices that keep their options open for a successful exit.
Megan Farley is a partner at Allen Stahl & Kilbourne, PLLC where she focuses her practice on business, nonprofit, alcoholic beverage law, intellectual property (trademark) law, and creditor rights.
She regularly advises business clients on a range of matters from formation, contracts, commercial lease review and negotiation, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, applying for and maintaining trademark registration, and other business operational matters. Megan also assists craft beverage business clients with federal, state, and local ABC permitting, compliance, contracting, intellectual property licensing, and through the nuances of buying and selling ABC-permitted businesses.
Megan has sat on the board of directors of the North Carolina Craft Beverage Museum and Invest Collegiate Imagine charter school. Her practical nonprofit experience helps her guide nonprofit clients through the unique challenges they face. In addition to advising nonprofit clients, Megan provides workshops for boards and facilitates strategic planning meetings to assist nonprofits in defining clear goals and strategies to further their missions.
Alison Kinnear is a seasoned corporate and securities attorney with nearly 30 years of experience advising clients on complex business matters. Her practice focuses on business transactions, corporate governance, private placements, and compliance with state and federal securities laws.
Alison’s work spans a wide range of legal areas, including corporate structuring and restructuring, governance, commercial contracts, and private placements under Regulation D, with deal sizes ranging from $500,000 to $50 million. She regularly handles partner buyouts, buy-sell agreements, and mergers and acquisitions involving transactions from $10,000 to $100 million. Her experience also includes business succession planning and overseeing legal due diligence for major transactions.
In addition to her transactional work, Alison serves as outside counsel to startups and growing companies, providing both strategic input and practical legal guidance that supports their long-term success.
3pm
The busy summer season often masks small inefficiencies that quietly drain time, money, and energy from your brewery. In this practical, no-fluff session, we’ll guide you through an essential “autumn reset” to identify and fix hidden inefficiencies before the holiday rush hits.
Whether you’re managing your brewery with a whiteboard, spreadsheets, or brewery management software, this talk is for you. We’ll share actionable tips that anyone can use to improve access to key information so that your team can make smarter, faster decisions.
Plus, we’ll introduce Brew Ninja’s 5-minute Brewery Health Check Survey to help you reflect on your current operations and pinpoint where small changes could deliver big results. No matter your current tools, these insights will help you reduce last-minute chaos, avoid costly mistakes, and boost your margins.
If you’re ready to reclaim time and confidence ahead of the holiday rush, this talk is for you.” “Brew Ninja is the complete, affordable and easy to use brewery management software. With Brew Ninja your team gets time back to focus on what they do best.
Brewers are on top of production schedules and inventory, ensuring you never run dry or overproduce. Sales teams have real time access to accurate inventory, meaning they can close deals faster without endless back and forth. Owners see margins and profitability with just a few clicks, and your whole team communicates seamlessly.
Co-Founder and Sales Director, Matt Hon has worked with brewers across North America over the past 7 years to help them improve operational efficiency through better access to information, and simpler workflows.
3:30pm
4pm
Oxygen is both a friend and a foe in the beer-making process. Used wisely, it sets the stage for strong fermentation. Used incorrectly—or introduced at the wrong time—it can compromise the flavor, shelf life, and quality of your beer.
Topics covered:
- When Oxygen Is Essential
- When Oxygen Becomes a Threat
- How Nitrogen Supports Brewing Excellence
- How Nitrogen creating the Perfect Pour at the point of dispense
Bringing 28 years of expertise in sales and consulting within the beverage sector, including beer, wine, soda, and water. Darren Yates is passionate about developing quality concepts and solutions for the hospitality industry.
5pm
In today’s competitive craft beer market, saving money can boost your bottom line faster than chasing every new trend. This session will share five quick, practical strategies you can use right now to cut costs without cutting corners. You’ll learn how to tap into your network to find trusted vendor recommendations, leverage your state guild’s discounts and preferred partners, and re-negotiate with your current suppliers for better deals. We’ll explore how to contract strategically—locking in pricing where it makes sense without overextending yourself—and how to boost buying power through industry co-operatives, whether by joining one or creating your own. Attendees will walk away with cost-saving tactics they can implement immediately, even with a packed schedule.
James Stutsman knows this industry and the headwinds brewers are facing. His experience includes nearly 15 years in the industry with stints as Director of Marketing and Sales for Kansas City Bier Company and Marketing Manager for Deschutes. Then he co-founded and served as head brewer for City Barrel Brewing Company where he helped build distribution, open two restaurants and win a GABF medal for Hazy/Juicy IPA in the process. Now he works for the Independent Brewers Alliance and helps brewers navigate the time-sucking maze of sourcing and negotiating with vendors.