An Online Resource Serving The Beer Industry
» » Human ResourcesRecruiting, retaining and managing employees
Managing your mental health is challenging regardless of your profession. The brewing industry is no different. The physical demands placed on brewers and staff can be substantial. Add in the temptations of free and frequent access to alcohol, and it’s easy to lose track of both your physical and mental well-being in this industry. The job and its mental load rarely stay within the four corners of the brewery.
Good employees can be difficult to keep around. Never has this been more true than in the Great Resignation. So how do you stay competitive as a workplace?
Read more…
It’s been almost two years since our eyes were opened to some of the toxic behaviors common in brewing culture. While awareness was the first step in building a new culture, we still have work to do to take care of one another and heal. Fortunately, you (the people who work in the industry) are positioned to make that happen!
Read more…
You and your employees’ social, mental and physical wellbeing matter.
Read more…
New Belgium Brewing and Bell’s Brewery appointed a director of diversity, equity and inclusion who will work for both breweries. Courtney Simmons will serve as the newly combined company’s director of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
New Belgium Brewing and Bell’s Brewery are now both subsidiaries of the craft beverage division of Australian food and drink company Lion, which is owned by Japan’s Kirin. Bell’s sold to Lion last November and New Belgium sold in fall of 2019.
The two breweries now include 1,300 employees across four states.
The human condition is designed for wandering and exploration. To expand the mind, horizons, and to collect experiences as we hurdle through life. We are also the only species that pays to live on the planet and as such need employment to keep us stocked with basic necessities and shelter. At times the desires and needs can be in conflict.
In thinking about employment there should always be a level of happiness that exists, a chance for creative sparks to catch flame, and proper rest achieved. To have those means better productivity and likely meaningful growth of a business. It can be easy to get stuck in a rut and day in and day out at the same job, trying to reach goalposts that are constantly moving can cause burnout or leg creativity stagnate.
Maybe it is time to consider adding a sabbatical offering to your company.
“Cause and Effect: Re-diversifying American Brewing” Garrett Oliver, Brooklyn Brewery/Michael Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling.
A note from ProBrewer founders, Pat Hagerman and Mark Silva
Two weeks ago we launched theMJF $100,000 matching grant challenge by Brooklyn Brewery on ProBrewer. In this post we:
Progress and Goals
The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF) is teaming up with ProBrewer to drive a $100,000 matching fundraising challenge by Brooklyn Brewery that will launch today and culminate May 2nd at the THRIVE sessions for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion during the Craft Brewers Conference.
Every dollar donated up to $100,000 will be matched by a generous grant by The Brooklyn Brewery, creating the opportunity to raise over $200,000 in the next month for brewing industry inclusivity.
The MJF is a grant-making organization that funds scholarship awards to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) within the brewing and distilling trades. The program is open to candidates at the beginning of their careers, as well as those looking to continue their education. The MJF awards present an opportunity for members and patrons of the brewing and distilling industries to directly fund a more just, equitable, and dynamic future.
The small business survival rate can be terrifying to people contemplating opening their own shop. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 20 percent of small businesses in this country fail within their first year of operation. By the end of year five, half have closed. And these stats were before the pandemic took its toll on already strained businesses.
In the early days of the pandemic, we heard that hundreds or thousands of breweries might close in the United States. Thankfully, that prediction has not come to pass but many beer related businesses have closed while many others contemplate the possibility. For businesses that close, they may have suffered from a sudden downturn in consumer demand for their products or been crushed by substantial cash flow problems. Whatever the reason, breweries that are considering closing can’t just shut the doors and walk away. Closing up a business can take months of work and there needs to be a plan for winding down the business.
A successful training program requires investment, and investing in your team is one of the best things you can do to better your brewery. The more educated your team, the better representatives they will be for your brand – and the more beer they’ll be able to sell. Having this is valuable no matter where a person works in your company, and having educational systems in place can help bridge the frequent disconnect between departments. In this conversation we will discuss how our panelists have facilitated training that educates, motivates, and results in a more successful brewery.
Read more…
A goal of brewery owners should be to focus not only on making great beer, but providing a workplace environment that values employees, fosters careers, and seeks to keep the calm and peace. That can be easier said than done in a high-pressure environment that touches on many different skillsets but there are ways to achieve a positive workplace beyond just paying a fair salary.
“I always impress upon people who want to get into the industry that you do this for love, not money,” says Erik C. Coleman, the owner of Beer By Coleman, a consultancy company. “You’ll never get rich unless you’re an owner but there is camaraderie, it’s a brotherhood and a sisterhood and it can be really rewarding to be involved with.”
Read more…
Writer Emma Wargolet has compiled a list of women-owned breweries across the United States. The list was put together with the help of PorchDrinking writers, Colorado Brewery List, the Pink Boots Society, various Hop Culture articles, and a diverse breweries database created by Jeff Alworth.
The list includes over 200 breweries broken down by region.
“Despite the idyllic notion that craft beer is an incredible industry founded on collaboration and camaraderie, last year’s reckoning ignited by Brienne Allan’s work showcased that sexism is a rampant issue in beer that has often been swept under a rug for far too long,” explained Wargolet.
A great discussion between Collin McDonnell from Henhouse, Shyla Sheppard from Bow & Arrow Brewing Company, and Teo Hunter of Crown & Hops Brewing Company that envisions the beer future that’s more diversified and inclusive.
At least nine breweries have announced they will not attend the upcoming Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen (MBCC) festival later this month in response to accounts of sexual harassment, discrimination, and bullying that several former Mikkeller employees allege occurred at the company, according to a story in Good Beer Hunting.
Mikkeller issued a statement on their Instagram account where they listed four actions the company is taking to ensure a “safe and inclusive workplace.
The well-known international event is slated for October 22nd.
The Brewers Association recently completed an updated demographic audit of brewery owners based on a survey of 500 randomly selected breweries selected by the BA. The results showed that brewery owners are 93.5% white and 23.7% of brewery owners were female, while 75.6% were male.
“The American beverage alcohol consumer is increasingly BIPOC and female,” said Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association. “That shift is ongoing and will likely continue going forward. For example, female drinkers under 25 now outnumber male drinkers under 25. So for craft to continue growing and moving more in the larger beer and beverage alcohol consumer market, it will need to connect better with that diverse customer base. While there’s nothing that says white and male owned businesses can’t connect with that more diverse customer base, it’s going to require additional work in building diverse organizations and shoring up blind spots.”
See the full summery of the survey here.
A newly established partnership between Revolver Brewing Company and the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Food Science and Technology will help minority and underrepresented students pursue careers in the brewing industry.
The scholarship is intended to attract students from Texas and out of state to study brewing and fermentation science at Texas A&M with the objective is to alleviate financial, racial, gender and social-background barriers so more students can further their careers in the brewing industry.
Funds from the endowment will provide up to two scholarships annually. Each recipient will receive $2,500 and can apply for a summer internship at Revolver Brewing.
The American Society of Brewing Chemists, Brewers Association, Cicerone Certification Program, Master Brewers Association of the Americas, and the Pink Boots Society (PBS) have come together to form the Brewing Respect and Unity Coalition (BRU) with the objective to drive industry-wide adoption of best practices for preventing discrimination, harassment, and violence within the brewing industry.
The announcement was made this morning by Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bob Pease at the Craft Brewers Conference opening session.
The BRU Coalition aims to drive change by “adopting an industry-wide set of best practices that are proven to reduce harassment, discrimination, and violence,” and “compiling and sharing tools and resources that enable industry members to adopt best practices,” according to a press release.
President Biden is set to announce today a new federal rule that will require that all businesses with 100 or more employees to have all workers either fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or submit to weekly testing for the virus.
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will formally issue the rule in coming weeks, a senior administration official told reporters. The fact that this will be issued by OSHA (and not just CDC) gives the order especially strong incentive for businesses to comply. According to the New York Times, OSHA’s authority does not mean it won’t face pushback or lawsuits challenging the order. And enforcement may be a challenge, particularly since there is no national system for employers to track or report vaccination status.
This is a developing story. ProBrewer will have updates. More details here from the New York Times here on the expected announcement.
The New York City Brewers Guild has revoked the membership of a member brewery over allegations that “directly contradict the core values and mission of the New York City Brewers Guild.”
According to an article in Brewbound, allegations of sexual assault were posted on social media against Gage Siegel, the co-founder of Non Sequitur Beer Project.
“In order to ensure a safe space for our guests, members and community at large, the Guild; and they will not be participating in any upcoming Guild sponsored events, meetings or collaborations,” the Guild posted on Instagram.