Strategic support to take on the ‘big guys’ of brewing
AusIndustry supporting... Bridge Road Brewers
Established in Beechworth in 2005, Bridge Road Brewers could very well have been a winery, if not for a sliding doors moment for owner Ben Kraus during a trip to Austria.
Not only did he meet his wife, he realised the Aussie beer scene at that time was bland. And so, a micro-brewery back home in Beechworth was born and it now offers the complete experience for the beer connoisseur, as well as the foodie and festival tourist market.
Bridge Road Brewers had plenty of space, but it needed the know-how to build strategic focus. Owner Ben knew he needed a CEO to build growth. Enter Donald Mace, who noticed customers were shifting their preference towards canned beer instead of a bottle. Another cross-roads led them to AusIndustry.
Donald says the key benefit of working with facilitator Vance Wheeler from AusIndustry’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme, is that he’s just down the road, and he provides an honest, independent viewpoint on his big ideas.
Employing local is a big part of the ethos of Bridge Road Brewers in a town with a population of just under 4,000 people. The business employs 45 people, with a sales force of 9, and now boasts a 340-seat taproom, pizzeria and 25 hectolitre brew-house.
Their beer range can now be found from Bermagui to Bangkok!
With AusIndustry's help, Bridge Road Brewers has been able to adapt its practises to respond to changing consumer preferences, all while maintaining its strong business values of independence, quality and authenticity.
Bridge Road Brewers aims to give the big guys of beermaking an elbow nudge in the marketplace, and put Beechworth on the map as the "beer capital of the universe."
Funding enabled us to build our own canning line, so we didn’t have to go external. This has been a massive step change for us as a brewery