Costs

Understanding the cost of wages and benefits is more important than ever. The balance is in finding creative ways to keep them steady while ensuring that employees feel valued.

Brewers share strategies for reducing costs on craft beer’s most competitive style.

Barring a dramatic shift in the forecast, independent breweries should be planning for a future of low—or even no—sales growth. The safest path forward includes reducing risk, optimizing cash flow, and focusing on profitability.

From packaging mix to vendor contracts, here are areas that deserve breweries’ attention when margins are shrinking and every dollar counts.

Everyone’s costs are up, with no return to “normal” in sight. Big Beer is raising its prices and profiting. So, is it time to raise your own prices? Not necessarily.

From diversity at CBC to a brewery-led market hall with pet groomers, here are some happenings and announcements from around the industry.

The aluminum can manufacturer has agreed to delay until March 1 policy changes that disproportionately affect smaller, independent breweries.

Ball’s new minimum orders and higher prices have left independent brewers scrambling. Besides higher costs industry-wide, likely knock-on effects include streamlined SKUs, a return to labeling and shrink sleeves, and a boom in digital can printing.

With inflation and supply-side costs in the headlines, many breweries are wondering whether now is the time to raise prices in their taprooms or on shelves. But experts warn not to make that decision too quickly.

As prices increase on everything from PakTech carriers to cardboard, here’s how breweries are thinking creatively—and sustainably—to reduce costs.

Small brewers got big tax relief in 2017, but the clock was set to two years. Will Congress act to renew the cuts?