Brewery Suppliers: How to Select Brewery Suppliers and Vendors

Brewery Suppliers: How to Select Brewery Suppliers and Vendors

In many American cities, it feels like breweries are everywhere compared to just a decade ago. And there’s a good reason for that feeling: In 2023, there are more than three times as many breweries in the US than there were just ten years ago. And the brewery industry is still projected for 9.38% annual growth throughout the decade.

Despite the rise of the microbrew, however, the top five beer companies still account for a staggering 60% market share. That means thousands of breweries are competing for the final 40% of the pie. Fortunately, people love to drink, so the average brewery still averages a $68,605 monthly profit.

Any increase in your brewery’s profit margin is a welcome one, and one of the best ways to ensure your brewery is maximizing profits is by auditing your suppliers. In fact, you really can’t operate a brewery successfully without having great suppliers in place. Whether you’re already running a brewery or you’re thinking of entering this competitive industry, you need to know the essential brewery suppliers and where to find them.

In this article, you will learn how to find brewery suppliers that provide the best ingredients to make the best beer so that you can sell it at the best prices to your customers.

The importance of great brewery suppliers

In the competitive restaurant industry, breweries need to find ways to save money. From instituting better technology to recipe costing, there are many ways to manage a budget, but none of them will make much of an impact if you’re getting a raw deal from your suppliers. These types of suppliers are crucial to your brewery’s success:

• Food and beverage suppliers will help you fill out your menu with food and cocktails in addition to beer, so you can achieve more of a cocktail bar or sports bar vibe, depending on your brewery branding. These suppliers will not only help you get the ingredients you need to make beer, but they’ll allow you to do more than simply pour beer from taps.

• Equipment suppliers and repair suppliers get you the bar equipment you need to run your brewery, from taps to a dishwasher for glasses and everything in between. And they’ll fix that equipment when it breaks down so you don’t lose valuable selling hours.

• Menu suppliers help you showcase your branding to customers with a menu that doesn’t just show what’s on tap, but reflects your core values and mission as a business. (Not to mention are durable enough to withstand beer spills.) Whether you have a cool brewery concept to show off or your menu is always changing, a menu supplier gives you the best menu for your business.

• Laundry suppliers take care of all the rags, towels, and uniforms that you run through in a long day of business. They’ll help keep your brewery clean and up to code.

• Technology suppliers keep your brewery up to date with restaurant technology that can streamline operations and save money.

Essential brewery suppliers

Now that you know the essential brewery suppliers, let’s go into more detail about what to consider when looking to hire each type.

Food and beverage suppliers

Menu needs

Not all breweries offer a full-scale dinner menu, but if yours does, you’ll need proper suppliers. Even if you’re just offering snacks, you’ll likely need a different supplier for them than your brewing ingredient supplier. If you offer more than beer, but aren’t making beverages on-premises, you’ll need a supplier for those beverages, too.

Depending on your menu, you may have several suppliers for different items. It all depends on how you want to best serve your customers.

Sales volume

Up to 10% of food purchased by restaurant leaders never gets used. That’s not only a food waste problem, it’s a money waste problem! Every bit of food you throw away or ingredients you fail to use in beer is money flushed down the drain. It’s important to make orders in the right volume, and Toast’s reporting and analytics tools can help you do that.

Delivery requirements

Every brewery and individual has different delivery requirements and expectations. You may have limitations based on space or how your storage areas are laid out, which is why it’s important to regularly do inventory and understand when you typically run out of things. That way, you can schedule deliveries appropriately, ensure you have storage space, and are working with a supplier who can meet your unique delivery requirements.

Equipment suppliers

Consult your menu

Breweries will have a more unique equipment list than regular bars if there is actual beer production onsite, but otherwise, you’ll have to consult your menu to see what you need for your kitchen and bar service. Of course, you’ll need refrigerators, freezers, and kegerators, but you might need a fryer for french fries, a grill for burgers, and who knows what else. That’s why you need to consult your menu to understand the equipment you need for your brewery.

Measure your space

Any space is limited by its floor plan. You may not be able to fit every piece of equipment you want in your brewery, which is why it’s important to measure everything so you can prioritize accordingly. If there are important design elements you want to incorporate, you need to know the space you’re working with, especially if you’re not sure you’ll be able to fit all of the equipment you need to operate your business.

Consider new vs. used

Many equipment suppliers lease industrial equipment to breweries and bars. But rather than get locked into a monthly payment plan, you could opt to buy used equipment outright. It’s more expensive upfront, but it may ultimately save you money in the long run if it’s well-made, and it takes one less item off your monthly balance sheet.

Menu suppliers

Your brewery concept

What’s your brewery’s vibe? What’s the concept? Do you specialize in IPAs, sours, or another type of beer? What are you known for?

When it comes to your menu, your brand story and core values should shine through. The menu should not only show what’s available for customers to order, but it helps them feel part of your brand community and is a crucial element of building trust and brand loyalty. 

Take a look at your business plan if you’re struggling to figure out your branding.

Durability

Don’t cry over spilled beer. Or, at least, you shouldn’t if you have well-made, durable menus that can withstand a few spills. Have your menu supplier do a test run on menu waterproofing and durability before you hire them to make your menus.

Aesthetics

Again, menus are an important part of your branding and marketing strategy. People not only in the bar will read them, but they’ll be available online and showcase what your brewery is known for. They should look great and be user-friendly as far as legibility and important information go.

Laundry suppliers

Most bars don’t have the same laundry needs of a white tablecloth restaurant, but you may have uniforms and tons of rags. As such, you should shop for laundry suppliers.

Laundry requirements

Depending on the size of your brewery and the types of linens you go through, you might not need a laundry supplier. Still, if you’re churning through towels and rags and uniforms at incredible rates, it’s probably better to hire a laundry supplier than to install a washer/dryer in your brewery or take your business’s linens to the laundromat. 

Budget

Your budget will dictate just how frequently you use a laundry supplier and the kind of loads they can handle. National services will likely offer better prices, but may come short on customer service. Figure out what your budget can afford as you explore laundry options.

Reputation

Laundry is a sacred thing; you can’t trust just anybody with it. Yes, even if it’s just bar rags. Do your due diligence to make sure a laundry supplier has a good reputation. You don’t want to deal with lost or accidentally unwashed items coming back in every load.

Repair suppliers

Equipment expertise

Many equipment suppliers offer repair services, as well, making them uniquely suited with the right equipment expertise. Bar and brewery equipment are complicated, after all, so you need to make sure anyone you hire for maintenance knows what they’re doing. If the equipment supplier offers maintenance as part of your deal with them, that makes your life a little simpler — assuming they have actual experience fixing the equipment, not just selling it.

Reputation

You don’t want to hire just anybody to repair broken equipment. If a repair supplier has a poor reputation, stay far, far away. Look at online reviews and gather as many first-person testimonials as you can about repair suppliers before hiring them.

Reliability and speed

Your brewery’s equipment is essential to making beer and running the brick-and-mortar store. If a major piece of equipment breaks down, you need to get it fixed ASAP because time is literally money in this case. A great repair supplier will be reliable and quick to get out to you and fix the problem.

Technology suppliers

All kinds of restaurants use myriad types of restaurant technology to streamline operations, manage finances, and more. But there are different apps or software for virtually every little thing your restaurant needs. Using a ton of different tech can get confusing and expensive quickly.

A strong restaurant technology provider, such as Toast, is essential for helping a brewery optimize operations. Everything from a point-of-sale (POS) system built for your needs, automated staff and payroll management tools, and streamlined guest-facing tools, such as self-serve kiosks, online ordering, and QR codes, can all supply tech-driven optimizations to your restaurant.

How to find brewery suppliers

Knowing what kind of suppliers you need is the first piece of the puzzle. Finding them is the next one. Fortunately, it’s not that hard to do because there are more restaurants than there are suppliers, and they want your business. Here are a few ways to find the right brewery suppliers for you.

Online directories and marketplaces

There are many, many bar and brewery suppliers out there. All you have to do is Google “brewery suppliers” and you’ll find plenty of online directories and marketplaces to find the right suppliers for your business. You can narrow your search by budget, location, or specific suppliers to see what’s available in your area.

Industry associations and trade shows

The brewery scene is booming, and industry associations and trade shows are more common than ever. These are great resources for gathering first-person testimonials about suppliers you’re thinking about or getting recommendations for new suppliers to look into.

Your local brewery association — if there is one — will have plenty of resources on suppliers to help guide you in the right direction. (They may also have arrangements with local suppliers to get deals for affiliated breweries.)

Trade shows offer similar benefits, putting industry members in one place to negotiate deals, share information, and give recommendations. If you’re looking for the right suppliers, just spend some time at a trade show and you’ll find tons of options as well as the right intel to help you make an informed decision.

Cold-calling and prospecting

Finally, you can’t go wrong with good old-fashioned cold-calling and prospecting. It shouldn’t be hard to find brewery suppliers who want to work with you. You’ll just have to keep track of quotes and other particulars about each supplier before picking the right ones for your needs.

Take your time, it's worth it

Suppliers have a major impact on the success of your brewery. Finding the highest quality suppliers at the right price for your business will make a huge difference in the quality of your beer, food, and service. 

Suppliers are essential, but you don’t want to rush into relationships with bad ones. As such, make sure to review your budget, do your due diligence, and gather first-person reviews as much as possible before signing on the dotted line.