As breweries continue to make their taproom the home base and central cog for its machine in marketing the brewery and developing it as a central regional spot in the community, the importance of having a strong group of workers in that taproom has become even more important.
Knowing the story of the brewery, the beers, the people and the culture that comes from the ownership down through each individual hired is monumental in helping shape a consumer from a one-time drinker to a full-fledged fan.
Anna Rafalski, the Retail Director for Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer, Michigan, located in the Southwestern corner of the state and 70 miles east of Chicago over Lake Michigan, shared insight into how key having a sharp and knowledgeable taproom staff can be.
“Our taproom staff is central to conveying Greenbush’s story,” she said, noting that they regularly get customers curious about how the brewery started, whether the owners are locals, and how they have expanded to the size they are now.
“Since a large portion of our taproom staff have been with us for years, they were there through our growth and it’s their story too,” she pointed out.
Rafalski said they do training for new employees that includes the history of Greenbush,
“They hear anecdotes from the long-term employees about where we came from. People who come to work in the taproom usually stay for years, so our staff is knowledgeable,” she said.
When hiring, Greenbush does not hire people who are under 21 to even serve.
“It’s important to us that our staff enjoys our beer and can talk about it fluently,” Rafalski indicated. “We do look for people who love and understand craft beer when hiring.
“That being said, we also have new employees taste through our beer and expect them to learn the stats.”
1 Trackback / Pingback