You might have started your brewery as a hobby or side hustle, but through lots of hard work and countless sleepless nights, you have now turned it into a full-time business. As your brewery grows, the time will come to graduate from manual processes, paper brew logs, and Excel spreadsheets. If you are considering brewery production software to take your business to the next level, the Hillebrand Keg Pros offer these five tips to consider.
- Not all brewery software is the same
Pricing will vary between different software providers. Your brewery management software should include the following capabilities:
- Automated monthly and quarterly TTB reporting
- Cost accounting capabilities
- Centralized all-in-one system
- Variance-level production management
- Forward-looking inventory capabilities
- Planning and scheduling capabilities
- Automated accounting and inventory transactions
- Customized reporting engine capabilities
The cheapest option isn’t always the best one. Make sure the software you choose has the capabilities you need now as well as those you will grow into.
- Choose a technology company that is focused on the brewing business
It goes without saying that the brewing business is in many ways unique, with different processes and regulations. You shouldn’t just buy generic business software that has a few added brewing capabilities. Choose a software that takes into account what brewers will experience in the daily management of their businesses. Software designed by professionals who have a deep knowledge or hands-on experience in brewing will address many of the pain points a non-brewer would miss.
- Choose a software with widespread adoption
Look for recommendations from other brewers. Find out what other successful brewers are using. It is important to do research and compare the variety of available options on the market.
- Choose a solution that will help you make better business decisions
In order to operate your brewing business successfully, you need to have a single source of truth. This means that you need to have accurate information in order to correctly file TTB reports, forecast your raw materials needs, calculate alcohol percentage, or schedule production.
Look beyond your production and filling line. You will want software that includes (or easily integrates with) other technology platforms, visibility, and reliable business intelligence once your product and kegs leave your brewery. Tracking your assets and your beer is a best practice that brewers of any size could and should adhere to.
- Choose a solution with development and support in-house
There is nothing worse than purchasing software and finding out there is no help with implementation or troubleshooting. Make sure the company provides customer technical support. Critical information you should find out includes:
- Availability of support (hours of operation, average response time)
- Support staff size
- Whether the support team is in-house or outsourced
By being aware of the points listed above, if something goes wrong (and inevitably something always goes wrong), you will get the help you need so you can go back to focusing on brewing great beer.
In summary, if you are tired of managing your beer production and keg management by spreadsheets and sticky notes, then you are ready to start using brewery production software (with asset tracking) to grow your business.
The Hillebrand Keg Pros have done the research for you and found that FermentAble offers all of the function and features you need. In fact, we were so impressed, we had our developers work with the FermentAble team to integrate KegID with their software. Ask our Keg Pros how you can get the best of both solutions. You can also visit FermentAble to request a demo and learn more.