| Brewpubs & Craft Breweries |
| "Craft brewery consultants since 1982" |
| The successful start up and operation of a brewpub or craft brewery requires specialized knowledge, careful planning and dedication. From the moment you contact First Key craft brewery consultants you will experience the depth of our knowledge and skills. We offer a complete range of services from planning a new project and formulating beer recipes to improving every aspect of quality and efficiency. |
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| Feasibility Study and Business Plan |
| Market Review |
| Conduct a Market Review to provide sufficient and appropriate evidence to enable reasonable estimates and assumptions of the potential sales volumes (growth plan). This includes: product portfolio (brand, liquid and package SKU’s);start-up and ultimate seasonal demand figures; percentage of bottles, cans, draft (for micros); brewery image and target customers; and price, product, and promotion strategies. |
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| Technical Assessment |
| Based on the types of beer to be produced, the sales projections, and the client’s vision for the brewery we will analyze and definethe critical elements related to the production, packaging, and delivery of beer products to the customers. The assessment will define, but not limited to: |
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The design and layout of a brewery to service the sales volumes |
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The brewery space and structural requirements for current and future needs |
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The utility requirements, and costs |
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Projected production variables: peak month, shifts per day, etc. |
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Annual production capacities |
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Appropriate brewery equipment and technology to effectively meet the production requirements, packaging and logistical needs |
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| Business Plan |
| Our craft brewery consultants will prepare an overall document describing all plans associated with the new brewery. This document will primarily be a business plan, but with financial analysis to facilitate assessment of the project’s feasibility. It will include an assessment of the amount of capital required for the project (based on our market and technical review), the proposed source and use of these funds, and the expected future earnings, organized into integrated financial statements including Income, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
We will prepare break-out tables that provide supplementary “key performance Indicators” that are frequently used for Industry benchmarking purposes, such as:Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) breakdown including raw materials, packaging, labor, and direct overheads; Margin analysis by package and total margin pool based on various forecast volume scenarios; EBITDA margins, cost per hectoliter, etc.
In addition we will prepare the investment analysis. Using the base case financial projections, we will develop schedules that analyze the investment features of the project, including: Return on Invested Capital; Net Present Value of the project; Internal Rate of Return; Payback Period; Break-Even Point. |
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| Project Implementation |
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Equipment specifications, request for proposals, evaluations and recommendation of equipment supplies. |
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Consult with local Architects and Engineers re: site and building |
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Acquire supporting equipment and supplies |
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Acquire brewing materials |
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Organize lab and lab equipment |
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Formulate Beer recipes |
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Brewing trials and beer development with beer samples |
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Startup and commissioning of brewery equipment in conjunction with equipment suppliers and local trades. |
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Hire and train staff brewer |
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Educate and train staff about beers |
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Develop brewery maintenance management system |
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| Brewery Operations Manual |
| The purpose of a Brewery Operations Manual is to define the standards of operations and quality for the products brewed, filtered and packaged to ensure they will be of consistent high quality. It defines policy and procedures so that operations and production are conducted in a consistent manner. It defines standards, and quality tests needed to be conducted. It outlines how quality tests and production activities are documented and reported. It defines the analytical, microbiological and sensory quality standards of in-process and final products. |
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| Quality Management System is a "tangible" commitment to quality – it sets the standard for employees, reassures customers, and is a potential "selling feature" for discerning customers and contract brewing opportunities. It provides cost avoidance, risk reduction, peace of mind, personal and peer pride. |
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A system for management and assurance of product quality |
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Provides a statement of Quality Policy and details in a Technical Manual procedures and methods by which the policy is to be adhered to. It also sets out quality goals and how they will be achieved. |
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Defines responsibilities for each manufacturing stage and product quality. |
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Defines actions of what is to be done at each quality-critical manufacturing stage. |
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Lays out standard, systematic methods for handling quality issues (e.g. out of spec product) |
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Tailor made for craft brewers |
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Avoids costly and time consuming bureaucratic quality systems designed for mega brewing conglomerates. |
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Simple, focused on what counts, affordable. Easy to manage. |
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| Operations |
| Provide an interim General Manager to setup commercial operations including accounting and reporting systems with key performance indicators and operating best practices that include distribution and sales management procedures and systems. |
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| Contact |
| Please contact us for information about our brewpub and craft brewing consulting services. |
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| Testimonial |
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“When we decided to build a brewpub we needed a consultant that could handle the entire project. First Key were our “partners” from the early stages of concept development and equipment selection right through to developing the beer recipes, setting up the lab and acquiring all the necessary supporting equipment, supplies and raw materials. They managed the startup and commissioning of the brewery, assisted us to hire and train a staff brewer, educated our staff on the brewing process and our beers. First Key did an excellent job, leaving us with a comprehensive Brewery Operations Manual that included customized operating procedures and an on-going quality management system. It was a real pleasure to work with a company that could handle all aspects of the project.”
Bob Prather
Director of Food & Beverage, Feather Falls Casino, Lodge & Brewing Co. |
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"First Key has acted as our technical advisors since we established our first brew-pub in 1993. We now have 26 locations throughout the United States and are expanding rapidly. Through an on-going technical services arrangement, First Key provides regular quality control, product development, and staff training services. Our "Partner" relationship with First Key is fundamental for our rapid growth".
Rob Gentry
Vice President, Brewing, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurants. |
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"We were aware of First Key’s expertise in developing, implementing, and post-auditing Quality Management Systems (QMS) in large scale brewing companies but, as a micro brewery, we needed a QMS that took into account our small size, modest budget, level of complexity, and capability. I was most impressed with First Key’s ability to comprehend smaller-scale operations, to work with our people, and mutually develop a manageable system of policies, procedures, standards and quality testing to ensure that our plant operations are conducted in a consistent “high-quality” manner. An excellent job! The management team at VIB is extremely pleased with the QMS program developed by First Key".
Barry Fisher
President, Vancouver Island Brewing Company |
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| Case Study |
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| Business Plan and Feasibility Study For a Start-up 100,000 hl/yr Brewery required by a successful Brewpub operator planning to build a new microbrewery and expand into the retail packaged beer market. Our client required a detailed business plan and strategy for expansion, as well as a feasibility analysis for presentation to investors. This included development of a preliminary plant layout, capital cost estimates, volume, pricing and costing estimates all of which were incorporated into a detailed financial model. The project required significant research and analysis of industry trends and competition as well as consultation with multiple internal and external parties including the local government authorities, trade associations and industry participants, as well as client staff and hired consultants to “pull critical information together,” synthesize data and present consolidated results in a cohesive and persuasive report under tight deadlines. |
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| Viability Study for a Brewpub The study involved commercial, technical and business plan components. The commercial review covered market opportunities to determine scale of operation, external market possibilities and extent of support for the brewpub. In the technical assessment we identified licensing, local health department, and environmental stewardship requirements as well as the design for incoming product storage, production facilities and end of process storage requirements. This included ancillary facility requirements for offices, quality control labs… resulting in a room list with requirements for steam service, floor drains, special ventilation, special floor and wall finishes, etc., as well as staffing requirements and a strategy for implementation. All the commercial and technical information was pulled together in a pro forma business plan indicating initial capital outlay, life cycle investment, operating costs and return on investment projected over a five year period. |
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| Micro Brewery Technical/Operations Assessment First Key conducted a 4-day on-site review of the micro-brewery and provided the business owners with a detailed report and “road map” for improvingprocess management, quality, and operating systems and procedures. Comment was provided on the following: (a) condition of process equipment; (b) immediate improvement requirements; (c) short term and long term requirements for expansion plans; (d) quality control improvements.We developed an outline of general quality control, upgrade and expansion steps in order to modernize and/or increase the plant capacity and improve quality control -- with the objective to enhance productivity and efficiency at each step. |
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