This is a part of a continuing series of Q&As with members of the brewing community from across the US. Brewer Magazine will share business and personal insights from Brewmasters, Head Brewers, Brewing Managers, Sales Directors, QCQA Managers and others each weekend to help you get to know each other better in the industry and learn more to better develop your own brand.
Chris Goulet, Managing Partner, Birdsong Brewing Co. — Charlotte
BREWER: Looking at the year ahead, what is one business-forward priority for your brewery, and why does it matter to your long-term success?
GOULET: We’re very focused on expanding our packaging offerings. We’ve seen that off-premise sales are much more consistent, and consistently growing, so offering additional packaging sizes will help us further grow that channel.
BREWER: What’s one business decision you made in the past year that had a meaningful impact (either operationally or financially) and what did you learn from it?
GOULET: We launched a project to challenge our Top 20 suppliers to improve their offerings (better terms, etc.) or reduce their prices. So far this is creating meaningful savings. What I’ve learned is that many of the companies we work with have much more flexibility on pricing than we originally thought.
BREWER: Where are you currently seeing the most opportunities for growth? Your taproom, through distribution, new events, new products, or something else? How are you approaching it?
GOULET: Off-premise, specifically large format chains, are the biggest source of growth lately.
BREWER: What operational or financial challenge is currently at your top of mind, and how are you working to address it?
GOULET: Cost increases are a pain. When we realize savings in one area, we turn around and find additional costs in aluminum or health insurance. Again, we continue to push back on these vendors and try to secure savings.
BREWER: How has your approach to running a brewery evolved over the past few years, and what changes have proven most beneficial?
GOULET: Delegate aggressively. Even if an employee is initial less effective at a given task, practice and a broader understanding on the business are almost always beneficial.
BREWER: What industry shift are you paying closest attention to right now, and how might it influence your brewery’s decisions moving forward
GOULET: THC drinks. If North Carolina passes restrictive rules (or no rules) the industry will be severely curtailed in this state. We don’t produce these beverages, so our sales should pick up some benefit if the THC category shrank substantially.
