Wednesday, May 3, 2023
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MEMBERSHIP GRANT PROGRAM NOW OPEN FOR ASPIRING TEXAS CRAFT BREWERS
For a THIRD year, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild and Method Architecture offer membership grants to support “Breweries in Planning” across the Lone Star State.
Austin, Texas (May 1, 2023) —A grant program opened this week for applications from future Texas craft brewery owners. Grantees will receive one year of free membership (a $300 value) in the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the trade association for independent craft breweries in Texas. The grant program is funded by Method Architecture, a Texas-based firm that’s also a longtime member of the Guild.
“Breweries in planning have to prioritize every dollar as they get their projects going,” says Meg Ellis, the Guild’s Deputy Director. “So benefitting from Guild membership in the crucial early phases can have a huge impact down the road by minimizing avoidable expenses, identifying gaps in project timelines, and making connections with vendors to start building relationships.”
Brewery in Planning member benefits include accessing the Guild’s library of recorded and live online educational resources, attending monthly member meetups and annual conferences, connecting with more than 240 veteran brewery owners statewide, and networking with hundreds of vendors, like Method Architecture, who will be critical to their success as brewers and business owners.
Carl Roaches, Jr., is part of the ownership team of For the Culture Brewing in Houston, and a recipient of the grant in 2021. “Within our Guild, competition is overshadowed by the camaraderie of its members,” he says. “There’s virtually no amount of research or reading that completely prepares a person to start a brewery, but having the “inside” information available through other Guild members can prove invaluable to anyone looking to open a brewery of their own.”
The costs to enter the craft brewing industry are high, and continue to climb due to ongoing cost increases for ingredients, equipment, and continued logistics challenges that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. People of color, women, non-binary individuals, and entrepreneurs outside of metropolitan areas are known to experience barriers to credit, capital, and other business supports that their white, urban counterparts might not.
“We know the barrier to entry for starting a new business can be tough, especially for minority business owners,” said Jackie Rye, Partner and Project Lead for breweries including Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company and Karbach Brewing Co. “Our hope is that the grants allow these entrepreneurs to focus on what they do best and fully embrace the resources available within the craft beer community.”
In the grant program’s inaugural year, around thirty applications were submitted. Applicants represented every corner of the Lone Star State, including projects in Prosper, Tyler, College Station, Missouri City, and Allen, demonstrating the reach and appeal of craft beer for residents in rural and suburban communities. Eight of the thirty applicants were selected to receive grants in 2021, and five grantees accessed Guild membership in 2022.
This year, the organization hopes to see even more applications. Applications must be submitted by May 30, 2023. Eligibility criteria, award timeline, and the application form can be found at https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/method-bip-grants
Learn about the 2022 grantees here: https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/2022bipgrantees/
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ABOUT THE TEXAS CRAFT BREWERS GUILD
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association advancing the Texas craft brewing industry through advocacy and education. The Guild’s Board of Directors hail from craft breweries in all the major metropolitan regions of the state, as well as different brewery types and sizes to represent the Guild’s approximately 300 brewery members throughout the state, including operating breweries, as well as those that are in the advanced planning stages. The Guild also welcomes allied trade and retail members who support the craft brewing industry. To learn more about the Texas Craft Brewers Guild visit texascraftbrewersguild.org. The official mobile app of the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, Texas Brewery Passport™, is available in the App Store and Google Play.
ABOUT METHOD ARCHITECTURE
Method Architecture is a minority-owned, ego-free architecture and interior design firm that specializes in brewery and distillery design. The firm has designed over 40 breweries and distilleries within the state of Texas, including Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, Karbach Brewing, True Anomaly Brewing, Holler Brewing, and more. Method has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio,
