Words of Wisdom Forged by Experience – Insights from Industry Icon, Jim Koch

If anybody understands the American beer industry, it’s Boston Beer founder Jim Koch. Since launching Samuel Adams in 1984, Jim has witnessed all the shifts in the industry and has experienced the rise of craft firsthand. Boston Beer is the second largest craft brewer in the country – and just happens to be a client of the BevPros!

Jim has spoken candidly about his outlook on the state of craft, as well as the highs and lows Boston Beer has gone through over the years. It is worth noting that Boston Beer has used those experiences to grow and mature as a brand. Although craft experienced exponential growth prior to the pandemic, the slowdown in the industry post-pandemic has been undeniable. The hypercompetitive nature of the craft industry, coupled with the state of our economy and consumer behavior changes has made for a challenging business landscape. This has forced producers to sharpen and optimize every facet of their business model, including logistics, asset management, and quality control.

Boston Beer wouldn’t have been able to reach its current level of success without going through some hard times. “We have ups and downs, but when you’re struggling to get growth, people aren’t the problem – people are the solution,” Jim said. He further acknowledged how important it is to protect and defend brand quality which equates to being prepared to make difficult decisions when it comes to quality control. Jim has gone on record stating “If you aren’t budgeting for some destruction of beer, you aren’t serious about quality.”

For years, Boston Beer has trusted our BevPro solutions to manage its logistics services, processes for efficient keg returns (Kegspediter), and the turnkey management of unsaleable product disposal (EcoBev). EcoBev is an ideal solution for ensuring that a brewery is not wasting money or warehouse space on out-of-date, damaged, or recalled beverages by providing fast and discreet product removal and destruction.

Kegspediter efficiently returns kegs to the brewery faster, in other words, it shortens keg cycle time and increases the annual keg cycles per year, therefore reducing the number of kegs required to keep up with production. This means the brewer spends less money on buying kegs and can instead invest more money in growth.

If you’re interested in learning more about how any of these solutions can benefit your brewery, contact our BevPros today!