BEND, Ore. — Forty students from all over the world will meet in Bend Sept. 9 through Sept. 13 to learn the nuts and bolts of starting their own breweries. Over 30 percent of the participants are women and over half are traveling from outside of the Northwest, including as far as away as Australia and England.
The inaugural Craft Brewery Startup Workshop is a five-day workshop hosted by OSU Cascades that gives aspiring entrepreneurs the tools to design and implement a business plan for their own brewery and brewpub—and rewards the developer of the best plan with a paid internship at Ninkasi Brewing Company.
Through innovative sessions and networking activities, participants will learn how to recognize business opportunities, execute best practices for growing and marketing a brewery, incorporate environmental stewardship practices into the brewing process and explore elements of a successful craft brewery company culture.
Abby McHugh, a native of Queensland, Australia, plans to apply her new insight into brewing operations in her home country. According to McHugh, “Craft brewing holds similar market shares in the U.S. and Australia. I’m hoping to come away from your workshop with a better understanding of marketing strategies that various sized craft breweries in the Pacific Northwest have employed to grow their market share.”
The Craft Brewery Startup Workshop is part of the Northwest Beer Sessions annual summer course offerings for brewers, members of the food and beverage industry, and entrepreneurs. Other courses include Sensory Analysis, Beer Proficiency and Brewing. Visit pne.oregonstate.edu/beer to learn more about these courses.
OSU Professional and Noncredit Education (pne.oregonstate.edu) provides education and training for businesses, organizations, associations and professionals anywhere throughout the state and beyond. The majority of professional and noncredit students are focused on continuing education: licensure recertification, professional development and personal enrichment. Professional and Noncredit Education is part of the Division of University Outreach and Engagement.