What are the steps to start a brewery?
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin
Founding Father of the United States
Without good planning and preparation, breweries, like all new or small businesses, have a high rate of failure. To start a brewery and navigate the pitfalls of bringing your dream to reality, we recommend creating and executing a long-term plan by completing the following 10 steps. These steps will take you from concept to grand opening. More importantly, successfully completing these steps will help ensure that your brewery business is prosperous, resilient, and enduring.
- Concept – Decide what you’ll offer customers & how it will differ from other breweries
- Brewer’s School – Gain the knowledge & experience to master the brewing process
- Business Plan – Define your objectives & the strategies required to achieve them
- Financing – Secure the financing you will need to buy brewing equipment & start your brewery
- Location – Identify the site & the building where your business will reside
- Layout – Develop the architectural & engineering drawings of your brewery’s internal space
- Construction – Build or renovate a building to the specifications in your layout
- Installation – Set up the brewery equipment so that you can begin brewing
- Commission – Test & operate all systems and functions of the business
- Grand Opening – Welcome your customers into your working brewery & business
Portland Kettle Works has started more than 250 successful breweries using this proven 10-step process. Let us help you.
How to Start a Brewery:
Advice from successful breweries
