Portland State’s School of Business Administration has created a beer-brewing certificate program called The Business of Craft Brewing. It’s the first such program in the U.S. and is aimed at helping craft-brewing entrepreneurs navigate the business end of making and selling beer.
Being an admirer of microbrews, I applaud PSU’s dedication to cultivating Portlands rich craft-brewing culture. With its nearly 40 breweries, Portland clearly has a love affair with the craft of brewing beer and, as with coffee, Portlanders also love to consume it.
Thanks to the city’s strong relationship the city has with beer, the brewing certificate program has already inspired some serious buzz and interest from the community. There are, for instance, plenty of folks who make home-brews, and while they may have perfected their recipes, getting their product on shelves is a whole other task. Without knowledge of how the business of beer marketing and selling works, it is nearly impossible to turn that hobby into a
profitable endeavor.
The Business of Craft Brewing program, as professor Mellie Pullman described it, focuses on the business skills that will help pubs and brewers become more efficient and profitable, and help startups develop a business plan. The program may help get even more local brews on the shelves, as brewers can learn the steps needed to get their product sold in stores and markets.
In a similar vein, the program being the first of its kind also reflects Portland’s uniqueness. “Keep Portland Weird” is our motto, and providing a certificate program specifically for beer, hard cider and distilled beverages caters to that goal. Keeping Portland “beered” is another slogan I’ve heard. PSU is helping contribute to both.
Another great thing about Portlanders is our dedication to buying local. We’re proud of the products made in our backyards and show our support with our dollars.
While cities like my hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., are experiencing large-scale mircobrew resurgences, PSU’s program demonstrates how Portland embraces the culture. In Grand Rapids, the craft is becoming more appreciated, but I can’t imagine that local universities would reach out to that interest and the beer-loving community by creating a program to continue
its progression.
PSU’s decision to create this program highlights what makes this town so distinct, crafty and downright amazing.
Another great aspect of the brewing program is that it could help the local economy. Beer drinking and production are part of those “vice” markets that are generally unaffected by a bad economy. Regardless of how poorly an economy is doing or how financially hard up people are, they still drink. In truth, I imagine that drinking is one of those activities that increases during times of distress. People need a tonic and, when things are going badly, the need for stress relief increases.
By aiding potential brewers, PSU is helping to put entrepreneurs into a market that’s exceptionally stable; and though some may feel the market is overcrowded, the success of so many local breweries demonstrates that Portland residents can drink enough beer to support a large number of producers.
As I said before, Portlanders love to buy local and support local businesses. This, combined with the fact that people drink regardless of the current economic situation, makes the decision to learn the trade of marketing and selling beer an economically sound one. In aiding local brewers, PSU is also contributing to the flow of cash from patron to brewer, which helps keep the economy moving.
Providing a viable service to local entrepreneurs that benefits local beer-drinkers and the economy isn’t the only boon: The Business of Craft Brewing will draw interest to the university. It’ll pique the curiosity of microbrewers nationwide. The world’s best beer might never be tasted by anyone other than its creator if the brewer doesn’t know how to market and sell it, so people who are confident and proud of their homemade craft beer will be drawn to PSU to learn the skills they need to get their product out there for purchase.
I expect some skilled brewers to flock to the program and, in turn, more tasty beers to hit the shelves down the road.