Blogging about a food industry that's in transition.
Newsletter Sign up
Homepage Views
Categories
Expert Q & A's
Syndicate
Fueled by passion: what microbreweries teach us
In the 1990s, RIck and Barry traveled the world, designing beer process lines and brewing equipment specifications for over 50 brewpubs around the world. If you consider that In 2007 there were a total of only 1,406 regional craft breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs combined in the US, it quickly becomes obvious that Rick and Barry are experts in the brewing industry.
In 1997, they opened R & B Brewing, a two minute walk from Vancouver’s False Creek. They knew that the challenge for large brewing companies was to create distinctive, flavorful beers that people love. For microbreweries, on the other hand, the challenge has been reliability, including cross-batch product consistency, and sustained sales volume. Rick and Barry felt that with their background, passion and convictions, they could combine the best of both worlds in a job they would love doing every day.
R & B started with their signature Red Devil Pale Ale, perfecting a very good, very distinctive beer that is in some sense the antithesis of mass-market beers. It is not a beer that can be accepted in a passive way: its complexity challenges people to like it or dislike it.
Over time, R & B has developed a small line of hand crafted beers, and in doing so, has cultivated a mixed but devoted clientele. Some came to them as a pure alternative to the major brands; others found the cachet and exoticism once only found in imported and gourmet products. Some love the bohemian urban branding. All of them appreciate R & B’s line of delicious, hand made natural beers, beers with no mass-market BS.
A small part of the R & B business is selling kegs to anyone, with 12 hours notice. This reflects their commitment to individuals, even though the company is not a primarily direct-to-consumer business. For the most part, R & B sells to bars and restaurants that are keen on their products. Customers passionate about beer, and what R&B is toiling over. It’s a two way street: their customers get a vendor that is as hands on as they want.
(0) Comments • Permalink • 06 12 2008
The opinions represented on this site do not necessarily reflect those of the site owner. No warranty is implied.
Related Entries
Podcast: when Time magazine puts locally grown food on its cover, you know that the fresh food movement is going mainstream.
The drivers for localized produce are upon us. How a city was transformed to maximize local food production.
For a variety of reasons, local foods are more in demand than ever before. With foresight and organization, food companies can fulfill that demand.