THE CHALLENGE
In 2012, the Brewers Association reported there were 2,715 breweries in the U.S. compared to 50 in 1980. Craft beer is an estimated $10 billion-a-year industry.
There are 37 manufacturer’s breweries and 6 brewpubs in Alabama. Two million gallons of beer were produced in 2017 with an economic impact of $616 million.
The laws pertaining to breweries in Alabama were outdated. Regulations were making it unnecessarily difficult for breweries to operate.
The Alabama Brewers Guild (ABG), a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association representing the craft brewing industry in Alabama, has as its mission to promote a favorable legal and market environment for the craft brewing industry in Alabama.
Tasting rooms were legalized in 2011 as part of the Brewery Modernization Act. Current laws create unique hurdles for budding brewers to open or existing breweries to expand. The recent Brewery Modernization Act 2.0 focused on the following:
- Simplifying the excise taxes on beer and spirits sold at the tasting room
- Allowing multiple-location brewing and distilling operations to thrive by allowing limited transfers between locations under common ownership
- Allowing brewery and distillery owners to fully participate in non-profits
- Allowing brewery owners to own brewpub locations
THE SOLUTION
The Retail Coach connected with the Alabama Brewers Guild in February of 2019 to host a webinar regarding trends in the State of Alabama. TRC continues to support ABG by providing data and analysis of the breweries and distilleries across the state. These results include information about the number of visits by customers to these locations, information regarding seasonality and overall regional draw of these economic development drivers. The analysis was used to help foster support for Brewery Modernization bill 2.0.
A large part of TRC expertise is knowing what is currently driving economic development across the country. Forming strategic partnerships with experts in other fields helps client communities better understand current trends. TRC also actively tries to “move the needle” to create more economic opportunities.
"Breweries have become such a catalyst for redevelopment and growth across the country. Understanding legislation affecting the industry allows us to build better strategies for our client communities. Working with groups like the Alabama Brewers Guild is just one way The Retail Coach continues to stay on the forefront of community development and retail recruitment."
Charles Parker - Project Director, The Retail Coach
Community
Alabama
