Crowdfunding Success: The Rise of Australian Craft Brewers
The more than tenfold increase of independent brewing companies in Australia, from around 30 in 2006 to close to 400 today, is telling us one thing: Aussies enjoy their craft beers and the experiences around them – from the conversations in the pub, to the local tasting events. But do they love them enough to support brewers on their journeys and contribute to their success via reward-based crowdfunding? You bet!
When the Tasmanian Eleventh Order Brewery needed a step change to move from the build and planning stage to small batch production they turned to the Australian crowdfunding platform, ReadyFundGo. Jethro and his team got the support from some of those Aussie craft beer lovers and raised what they needed to achieve their goal. The beer has been produced and delivered and we can tell you from direct experience it tastes wonderful!
More recently, a brewery based in rural Victoria set-up by brewer Tim Cabelka and his best mate Alec received the support from 105 beer crowdfunding enthusiasts keen to see their venture succeed. The Mitta Mitta Brewing Company used their ReadyFundGo crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to go ahead with plans to build their client entertaining and tasting area at the brewery.
So, if you too are dreaming of an idyllic country lifestyle starting up your own brewery and feel ready to take the plunge, we have got some useful tips and recommendations you can use to get your crowdfunding efforts started.
Create a truly awesome product
It is fundamental in any crowdfunding project: you need a product that attracts attention and gets people excited. So that’s best if you already have an outstanding beer recipe and produced samples which people around you find strikingly delicious. Additionally, crowdfunding campaigns typically require a video. As such the next step is often to put some thought into how you are going to present yourself and tell your story in a refreshing and unique manner.
Tell what you can offer in exchange for funds
Reward-based crowdfunding campaigns are all about “give-and-take.” Backers are enthusiastic about supporting projects in exchange for something of value. In the case of craft beers, you can be sure that they’ll want to taste your product. That gives you the opportunity to offer all kinds of rewards: one beer, one pack, two packs, an exclusive invitation to a tasting event, and anything else you can think of to showcase your fantastic product and get the crowd involved.
Show that you are in control of the next steps
There are always risks attached to an innovative undertaking. Something unexpected may happen during product development, or production could turn out to be far more expensive than initially expected. So, if you want people to contribute to your project, you need to prove them that you are very well aware of the challenges ahead. In your campaign, tell your audience about how you are going to manage the next steps and the way their money is going to help you reach your objectives.
Get your crowd ready
As many a crowdfunding professional will tell you, crowdfunding success happens way before the start of a campaign. That means you must do your best to get the word out there before your crowdfunding campaign starts and get supporters ready to fund your project as soon as it goes live. Doing so will increase your chances of hitting your funding target since a lot of potential backers are only going to commit when they see that others did before them.
The team at the Mitta Mitta Brewing Company engaged their supporters early and kept them updated on their journey. They reached their funding goal within 5 days of launching their campaign. The importance of engaging and continually updating your crowd cannot be underestimated in any successful crowdfunding campaign but that is half the fun.
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Independent beer brewing is a booming business. Are you one of those people dreaming about being part of it in 2018 and enjoying an idyllic rural lifestyle? The next steps are more approachable than you may think with reward-based crowdfunding.
Are you ready to go ahead seeking funds for your exciting craft brewing project? Email us at info@readyfundgo.com, and we’ll guide you all the way to crowdfunding success.
