Industry Veterans Answer the Urgent Questions Owners of Breweries, Wineries and Distilleries May Not Know to Ask
COLUMBIA, MO, May 11, 2020 – With a combined 150 years of experience in the alcoholic beverage industry, the experts at Craft Beverage Consultants (CBC) are well-positioned to help the media cover the effect of the coronavirus on craft breweries, wineries and distilleries. With expertise in topics as far-ranging as how to set up a digital storefront to filing a federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) claim to avoid paying taxes on a lower-than-usual quantity of liquid produced, Craft Beverage Consultants’ 12-member team can clearly and articulately explain the basics to the nitty-gritty of how manufacturers and suppliers can not only survive this current period of closures and limited operations but position themselves to thrive as soon as the government lifts its safety restrictions.
“We tend not to know what we don’t know,” says CBC co-founder Jacob Halls, who manages and advises clients on issues of compliance, business strategy, marketing and distribution. “We’re here to handle everything but the staffing, including how to brand yourself appropriately for the times. For instance, we’d advise against brewing a beer and calling it Wuhan Wheat or COVID Cream Ale.”
The CBC team’s longtime-industry veterans and their affiliate partners can provide interviews on best practices to help readers, viewers and listeners make smart business decisions to maximize their profitability and longevity during this period of social distancing and the very uncertain “afterwards.”
They can address crucial topics like:
- Operations: production, business strategy, executive values-based coaching
- Sales: sales, distribution, lead generation, fulfillment
- Marketing: public relations, branding, graphic design, SEO
- Hospitality: front of house management, bar and restaurant consulting
- Technology: website design, e-commerce, mobile apps
- Legal: compliance, trademarks
“This is the time to talk about post-virus,” says partner Rick Laxague, who specializes in advising clients on sales, marketing and distribution. “They need to step their game up. Only the strong will survive this.”
About CBC: CBC’s roster includes local and regional clients like Epic Brewing, Logboat Brewing, Piney River Brewing, SudWerk Brewing and Common Cider Company. The agency was founded in 2014 by Jacob and Beth Halls; Rick Laxague joined as a partner in 2019.
Jacob brings 17 years of experience in regulatory compliance, business strategy, marketing and craft brand management to the company. In his former position as craft brand manager for the N.H. Scheppers Distributing Company, Jacob helped lead his team to winning the 2016 Distributor of the Year award from New Belgium Brewing and to a nomination for the Brewers Association’s Distributor of the Year award. Additionally, Jacob is also the founder and director of the South East Craft Beer Fest/Sampling & Educational Conference. Beth is Director of Business Operations and Coordinator of Charity Operations for the festivals and events run by Craft Beverage Consultants. Early mornings she co-hosts the radio talk show “The Tom Bradley Show,” on 93.1 JACKFM, home of the alcohol-based Food Fest Fridays.
Rick has close to 20 years of experience, a bulk of which was with Crescent Crown Distributing in Arizona. His last role there was Area Sales Manager for the dedicated craft beer division, coaching and leading a sales team to be nationally recognized. In early 2014 he helped take a regional brewery national as their Director of National Accounts and increase that segment of their business from 30,000 cases to almost 300,000 cases in two years, an increase that equates to $4.8 million in IRI dollar sales.
Craft Beverage Consultants offers free 60-minute phone/video conference consultations during which team members can answer a wide range of questions about immediate and long-term strategy in light of COVID-19.
CBC can be reached at (314) 768-0220 or info@craftbeverageconsultants.com. The website is craftbeverageconsultants.com