From Passion Project to Profitable Brewery
Let’s be honest…
A lot of breweries start as passion projects.
A few mates. A garage or small unit. A dream.
And a beer you actually want to drink.
But somewhere along the line, something shifts.
You start thinking…
“Could this actually be something bigger?”
That’s the moment where the real work begins.
Because there’s a massive difference between brewing beer
and building a beer business.
Let’s do a quick check:
If you took a month away from the brewery, would cash still come in?
Do you know roughly what your income will be next month?
Are your sales spread across different customers (not just one or two local venues)?
If you answered “no” to any of those…
You’re probably still running a hobby. And that’s totally fine.
But if you want to grow, scale, and stand out…
You’ve got to treat your brewery like a business.
So what does that actually mean?
1. Sell what people want, not just what you love brewing
You might be obsessed with that barrel-aged stout.
But if your audience is craving juicy pales, crisp lagers, or easy drinkers…
You’ve got to meet them where they are.
That’s not selling out, it’s scaling smart.
2. Grow your customer base beyond your mates
Relying on your local pub and that bottle shop across town?
It’s time to branch out.
Pitch to new venues.
Explore retail opportunities.
Launch a local membership or mixed-pack subscription.
Keep the beer flowing to more places, more people, more often.
3. Stop doing it all yourself
You can’t brew, pack, market, deliver, and post to Instagram 24/7.
And if you’re doing that now, you’ll burn out eventually.
Start outsourcing the simple stuff.
Design. Delivery. Social content. (Hello there!)
Focus on the big moves only you can make.
4. Build offers that sell while you sleep
Create merch.
Launch limited mixed packs.
Offer subscriptions.
Develop seasonal gift boxes.
These are touchpoints that help you generate revenue without constant hustle.
The big shift?
It’s moving from brewing for you and your mates…
To brewing for a growing audience who love your brand.
You’ve already got the beer.
Now let’s build the brand around it.
