Are you a new brewery owner? Do you want to win $5,000 and take an all-expenses-paid trip to Beervana? Interested in brewing a specialty batch of beer at the new Widmer Brothers innovation brewery?
On December 1, at the Brewbound Session conference in San Diego, six craft brewery entrepreneurs who have been on the market for two years or less will have an opportunity to participate in Brewbound’s one-of-a-kind business pitch competition — Startup Brewery Challenge 7, presented by Craft Brew Alliance.
Standing before hundreds of brewery owners, investors, distributors, suppliers, retailers and other beer industry professionals, Startup Brewery Challenge finalists will have four minutes to show off their business plans, sample one core product offering and receive immediate feedback from a panel of five expert judges.
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The brewery owner with the best overall pitch and product will receive $5,000 to be used to fuel the growth of their emerging business. The winning brand will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Portland, Ore., where key members will meet with and learn from Craft Brew Alliance executives, take an extensive tour of the company’s production brewery, participate in Widmer Brothers’ daily taste panel and receive business coaching from the CBA team.
In addition to those prizes, the winning entrepreneur will receive free entry into the Summer 2017 Brewbound Session and will also be featured in Brewbound’s “Learning Curve” documentary series.
Judges
- Karmen Olson, Senior Manager of Emerging Business, Craft Brew Alliance
- Amy Gutierrez, Category Manager — beer, BevMo!
- Daniel Lust, Co-Founder, Pints LLC
- Tom Bleigh, Innovation Brewmaster, Craft Brew Alliance
- Stephen Bossu, Co-Founder, Hopewell Brewing Company (Startup Brewer Challenge 6 Winner)
Entry
Think you — and your beer — have got what it takes to be crowned the winner of Startup Brewery Challenge 7?
Simply visit the application page for a complete listing of rules and selection criteria. There is no cost to apply, although conference registration is required for those selected to compete. Applicants will be evaluated and chosen by the Brewbound team. Questions about the competition can be directed to Jon Landis at jlandis@bevnet.com or 617-231-8834.
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Additional Information
To get an idea of what the Startup Brewery Challenge is all about, you can watch the winning presentation from our most recent competition in Brooklyn.
Detailed information on the format and selection process can be found on the application page.
Past winners of the Startup Brewery Challenge include Hopewell Brewing, Wynwood Brewing Company, Braxton Brewing Company, CODA Brewing, Appalachian Mountain Brewery and 5 Stones Brewing.
In 2014, as a direct result of participating in the Startup Brewery Challenge, Appalachian Mountain Brewery and CBA formed a strategic partnership. That partnership has evolved into a master distribution arrangement and a commitment from CBA to market, sell and distribute AMB products exclusively throughout its wholesale network.
About Brewbound Session:
The Brewbound Session, a full-day business conference for serious brewery professionals, will gather more than 200 attendees to discuss important industry issues and exchange ideas while learning strategies for success in the most competitive sector of the alcohol beverage category.
Focused on the business side of craft brewing, Brewbound Session events offer an unmatched strategic learning opportunity for beer industry professionals by combining the best in business information and networking. The full-day program features a hand-selected roster of industry experts and leaders who, through presentations and panel discussions, will touch on topics including investment, emerging trends, distribution strategies and more. Marketing, merchandising, and the overall state of the craft market are looked at as opportunities for brewers to improve revenue and profitability, and to build the capital structure that will allow them to weather any future storms.