Welcome Russel! Russel has a unique brewery up here and is distributing in quite a few states now. He could tell you all about contract brewing and we’re gonna do a video sometime soon hopefully

Hey @Grant Lee - look what came up in my feed this morning: https://www.idahostatejournal.com/freeaccess/opinion-small-town-paradox/article_2d7f7af4-9dbe-49f7-a744-c1604d7a5526.html

That first step, that MUST be taken in my opinion before anything else, is to....come up with your OWN identity. A brand name, some semblance of a logo (although this can evolve over time), and something that will make your company unique. Having a brand that is uniquely you will give you that mentality that you have already begun the journey, and give your close friends and family that try your homemade products something concrete in their minds, instead of just Gran't home-brew that was pretty good they had that one time." In my opinion, the brands that really stick it out are culturally tied to the market in which they exist. Unless you're a celebrity with a huge following, you probably will be facing an uphill battle standing out if you try to make the brand about yourself. In my case, I came up with Two Saints as the brewery name, because my plan was to open it in my home town of St. Maries, and St. Maries sits at the confluence of the St. Joe and St. Maries rivers, the two saints. "Grant's brewing company" doesn't have quite the same appeal to as many people as something like "Two Saints". Being the first brewery the county had ever seen and making it about the whole area created a lot of curiosity as well as local pride. The local culture here revolves mostly around two things, the waterways and the timber industry. The logo doesn't need to be overly complicated or busy, it just needs to be recognizable. I would also recommend something somewhat simple. Remember, you need to be putting your logo on things like shirts, hats, and glassware. You also need to think about what identity your company is going to have. Unless youre in a large market, it would not be wise to narrow your scope so much that you alienate the vast majority of people. My town is largely beer and whiskey drinkers, and the people that did drink beer, pretty much just drank Coors Light. Even today after two years I still get people that come into the Taphouse and ask the question "What do you have that's closest to Coors Light?" Some people even alluding to the fact they think craft beer is "crap" or "too strong". The first beer I came out with was my "St. Joe Special American Lager". It was an almost amber in color, barely hopped, pseudo-lager. It was my introduction to the town and most of the people here had an idea that "craft" meant triple IPAs and Imperial Stouts. It took a good year of several batches of my hazy IPA before it actually started to sell, only after I had gained the trust of the area by producing several good approachable styles.

Government contracts are often seen as something only large companies can win, but many contracts are actually designed specifically for small businesses. The challenge isn’t always eligibility — it’s understanding the process. Things like registrations, certifications, compliance, and knowing where to look can make government contracting feel complex or overwhelming. I’m curious to hear from the community:Have you ever explored government contracts for your business? - If yes, what part of the process did you find most challenging? - If no, what’s the main reason you haven’t pursued them yet? Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments. Different perspectives could be helpful for everyone here.

it’s been one hell of a December for us at my brewery. 🍼My wife is expecting our third boy in April, this creates a feeling in the back of our mind that amplifies every set back, every slow day of business, everybody unexpected cost. 🚐We had to trade in her paid off vehicle for something with third row. 💨The first week we were hit with a snowstorm and she drove into the ditch. 💸We were hoping to be able to wait to buy studded snow tires, but after that we had to, $1500 on a credit card 💸💸💸The next week my trucks transmission went out, several weeks of one vehicle and $7600 on a credit card. A huge windstorm took out our sons trampoline, blew away our dog kennel and fence, bbq grill, and knocked out our power for 4 days Couldn’t get any kegging or canning done due to no power ⚖️We got a notice that since hiring our first employee in June we forgot to get workers comp insurance and may be fined up to 4000 dollars. My wife feels terrible about this one because she was going through it at one point and we decided we didn’t need that first employee in early summer and then forgot to do it for the later ones. The state decided to raise all alcohol related fees and licenses by 60 percent.!! That special time of year where my wife has to do quarterly taxes, reporting, and end of year reports all at the same time Meanwhile we’re trying to give my sons a good Christmas 🤮And now our whole house is sick with a cold from hell… But I never lost sight of how lucky I am that I took that leap and started this brewery. In my previous life I would be working for a wage stuck in a hotel away from home, or delivering Amazon packages 12 hours a day 6 days a week until Christmas Eve. Making my wife deal with all the unexpected problems of life at home, and no matter what you’re doing they will come. The freedom, and flexibility affords me to be there To tackle the problems as they arise To pick my son up from school so my wife can continue working on her reports To hug my wife when she gets a bad news email, or an unexpected bill drains the account