2025 Craft Beer SWOT Analysis Part 1: Strengths
Craft beer has faced increasing challenges for some time, but it really hit home for me at last Spring’s Beer Marketer’s Insights conference. The room was filled with industry giants like AB InBev, Molson Coors, Constellation, Boston Beer, and most importantly, their distributors. Presentations focused on emerging categories, innovations, and trends, but the “craft” segment—including non-independent brands like Blue Moon, New Belgium, and Goose Island—was barely mentioned. When craft did come up, it was quickly dismissed or even laughed off. This is a concerning position, especially when it comes to future distribution prospects. To ever regain momentum, craft beer must re-engage with and leverage its core strengths, route resources away from its weaknesses, seize the opportunities that indicate there’s white space, and game plan against the many threats facing our industry.
Welcome to a four part series that dives into craft beer’s biggest strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats heading into 2025. In Part 1 especially, none of the content should be news to anyone. In fact, these strengths are probably a lot of the reasons why we all got into this business. The point instead is to compile them all into one jam-packed place, re-remind ourselves of these competitive advantages, and evaluate whether we’re currently putting in enough fresh energy, creative, and resources behind them.
1. Local
Despite not finding itself in a position of strength as far as data goes, “craft” still has a stronghold locally and must retrench there. Most of the category’s biggest threats have greater scale, but aren’t local, and that advantage must be exploited more. By directly engaging with neighbors through the hosting of events, sponsorships, and collaborating with other local businesses, breweries can build a sense of community that money can’t buy. Customers are more likely to support businesses they feel a connection to, so the more organizations that can be included, the more loyalty will compound.
The creation of jobs and ability to buy from local suppliers creates one of many narratives that can be leveraged into compelling stories about the beer and the people who make it. This builds a stronger brand identity and resonates with customers who are always seeking out unique and authentic experiences. These tighter relationships create a powerful feedback loop with customers that lead to valuable input, refinement of recipes and a product mix that better satisfy local tastes. Home field advantage is powerful tool that must lead the strategy, because national brands will do anything they can to infiltrate that narrative.
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