RUMSON, New Jersey – The Independent Brewers Alliance (IBA) – craft beer’s only member-owned purchasing cooperative – is now on the cusp of hitting one of its major milestones; one million barrels in combined member buying power.
In the past 12 months the IBA has signed over 150 new member-breweries from across the U.S. and Canada. Matt Hopkins, the IBA’s Executive Director said this, “Our cooperative is on a roll. Going into CBC we had 231 members across the U.S. and Canada with a combined barrel count of over 900,000. At CBC, over 370 interested breweries came to our hospitality suite. We expect to cross the 250-member mark and 1-million barrels in a matter of weeks.” When asked what’s driving interest, Matt said, “It’s simple. The more members we sign, the greater our leverage to negotiate new and better savings programs with suppliers. So, a typical 2 or 3-thousand-barrel brewery can save tens of thousands by participating in just a one or two savings programs. That’s pretty tempting in a highly competitive industry facing continued cost increases.”
In addition to adding new members, the IBA has also taken some other important steps. Said Matt, “We’ve just added a Director of Supplier Relations to our team – Peter Licht – a brewmaster for 28 years, most recently at Hermitage Brewing in San Jose, CA. His role will be to use his purchasing expertise and extensive supplier relationships to build new and stronger savings programs for members.” On top of that the IBA had its first profit sharing distribution for members at CBC. “That’s a big milestone for the IBA too,” said Matt. “Thanks to our growth, we were able to return over $125,000 to members.”
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT BREWERS ALLIANCE
The IBA leverages the combined buying power of its over 230 plus member-brewers to negotiate long-term savings programs with key industry suppliers. The IBA’s full-time staff creates the savings programs. Members tap into only those programs that are right for their breweries. Programs currently include cans, kegs, chemicals, fruit purees, hose, safety equipment, POP graphics and displays, glassware, packaging and labels, office supplies, brewing equipment, business insurance and much more. The IBA was founded in 2016 with the goal of helping member-brewers stay strong in the industry’s increasingly competitive environment.
For More Information:
https://www.brewersalliance.org/