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Craft Brewery

aren’t enough people out there with the skills
of a great brewer, accountant, salesperson, and
bar-tender all rolled into one. It’s not unusual for
a brewery to have several business partners who
take on different business roles, but this leaves
some positions understaffed or unfilled.

An important point to consider when hiring is that
not all employees want to work full-time hours. You
need to be able to offer flexible schedules and part-
time positions as well as full-time ones. Employee
scheduling and planning for business needs/periods
throughout the year is a difficult skill and some-
thing that requires good time management.

Employee training is crucial in the brewing busi-
ness. It is expensive and time-consuming to train
new employees, so you want to ensure that the
person you hire will be successful. You don’t gener-
ally find people willing to work for free, so training
costs do fall on the brewery. The more money you
invest in your employees, the better they will per-
form their jobs — it’s as simple as that.

Labor Laws

It would be wise to familiarize yourself with labor
laws in your geographical location, country, and
even state/province (if applicable). The U.S., for
example, has very different laws in each state,
resulting in a complex web of labor laws that can
be difficult to navigate through. There are also dif-
ferent laws for different types of employees, e.g.,
full-time vs. part-time or salaried vs. hourly.

Breweries that hire non-exempt employees (i.e.,
those who get overtime pay) should become famil-
iar with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which
outlines the rules and regulations relative to paying
overtime, minimum wage, and child labor.

Breweries that hire exempt employees (i.e., those
who do not get overtime pay) should become
familiar with the Internal Revenue Service’s guide-
lines of what qualifies an employee for “exempt”
status. For example, managers may be eligible as
exempt under some circumstances, but it is wise to
consult with a tax professional if you are unsure.

Pricing

There are many different ways to price your beer.
There is a powerful perception in the craft brewing

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