Tap and tasting rooms have reopened across the country and the craft beer market is growing again. The craft brewery business has suffered the last two years from Covid19, inflation, rising fuel, and material costs, and logistical challenges just like every business category. The industry had to make significant shifts at the height of the pandemic as restaurants, bars, taprooms, microbreweries had to close in the early rounds of the pandemic. This forced them to focus on packaging beer for consumer sales and less B2B, or wholesale. Critical supply disruptions also affected access to hops, cans, CO2, and other brewing materials. The industry is rebounding despite ongoing challenges. Government funding and loans were a lifesaver for craft breweries across the country.
The Brewers Association defines an American craft brewery as a small and independent brewer:
Small: Annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales). Beer production is attributed to a brewer according to the rules of alternating proprietorships.
Independent: Less than 25 percent of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.
Brewer: Has a TTB Brewer’s Notice and makes beer.
According to the Brewers Association, there are nearly 9,000 craft breweries in the U.S. employing directly and indirectly 400,000 people, supporting local economies by providing jobs, generating revenue, and paying taxes. The industry contributes roughly $62+ billion to the U.S. economy. Craft beer accounts for 12.3% of the $94B overall beer market.
While the giant breweries have large budgets to market their products on a national level, craft breweries focus on niche and regional markets combining creative packaging and beer labels while relying on unique recipes instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. Walk into any beer aisle and craft beers jump off the shelves with vibrant colors, wild artwork, funny names, and creative labels to stand out from the competition.
Printing craft beer labels is an art. Reputable and experienced printers work closely with the brewery’s art department and their pre-press department to get the exact look and feel of the label and packaging. All of this is preceded by the printer getting the right label material that will endure temperature variants, especially in cold and wet environments when beer is on ice, or in a cooler. Adhesion is critical for beer labels and having an experienced craft beer label printing vendor is a plus. They are familiar with the food and beverage industry regulations and know what will and won’t work. The last thing you want is for your craft beer label to slide off the can or bottle.
At Century Printing and Packaging we have been answering the call for craft breweries and distilleries in terms of high-performance labels and packaging. We are investing in the industry and learning all we can about your printing and packaging needs. We have innovative products designed specifically for craft breweries. We have years of experience running beer labels on film with a film liner, which can be applied at high speeds and is more readily available than some substrates.
Contact us today to discuss your unique printing and packaging needs! We are members of the Brewers Association.
Ben Waldrop
President
Century Printing & Packaging Greer, SC 29651
800.344.7509
(Images: Brewers Association and CPnP)