The Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream – New $1 Million Grant Program

For 10 years, Jim has been a critical part of supporting thousands of artisanal food and beverage small businesses across the country through the Brewing the American Dream Program, which has given critical guidance to more than 10,000 business owners through speed coaching events and mentoring, provided more than $27 million in loans to small business owners and independent brewers, and created or saved 7,100 jobs. At this year’s Great American Beer Festival, Jim teased that for the first time he will be providing $1 million in initial funding to support a new business grant program for artisans and brewers who are at the center of job creation and economic growth in their communities. More details about the grant specifics will soon be made available by Sam Adams.

What Jim has to say:

“Artisanal jobs, including brewing, are often overlooked as an economic growth engine, but I believe strongly these businesses are the future of American manufacturing and the job creation tip of a larger social movement. It’s the responsibility of successful businesses to help stimulate artisans who are under-resourced and facing other barriers to success. Through this new grant program, we are doubling down with our support for those artisans dedicated to creating high-quality foods, beverages and beers and further stimulating our community of craftspeople.”

More information is available at: www.brewingtheamericandream.com.
The Samuel Adams Brewing & Business Experienceship
Another key initiative at the core of Samuel Adams support for the craft beer industry and fellow artisans is the annual Brewing & Business Experienceship, which helps brewers grow and succeed through training and financial support. At this year’s Great American Beer Festival, Sam Adams named Allan and Alicia Conger from 1912 Brewing in Tucson, AZ, the winners of the 2019 Experienceship.
Veteran-owned, Allan and Alicia Conger began 1912 Brewing with a true love of beer and the mission to incorporate their heritage story within the brewery and their beers. After homebrewing in their garage for nine years, Allan and Alicia created 1912 Brewing to follow their love of everything beer and to become their own boss. They noticed there was a lack of “Latin flare” and veteran influence in their local market and wanted to make an impact with a new brewery culture. Their brews are now served at their taproom and more than 100 bars and restaurants throughout Arizona.

The Experienceship will be tailored to Alan and Alicia’s specific business needs with opportunities that include business coaching, a trip to the Sam Adams Boston Brewery to learn from the brewers and business experts, the opportunity to brew a collaboration beer with Sam Adams and financial support to attend industry events like the Great American Beer Festival.

What Allan and Alicia have to say:

“We feel so grateful to win the Experienceship and look forward to working with the team at Sam Adams.  We could use the Experienceship to improve every aspect of our business – from distribution, marketing, production, and branding. We would like to expand not only our business but the Latin and veteran aspects that influence our brewery culture. Hiring more veterans, giving back even more to those communities, expanding product selections and breaking into markets dominated by the ‘traditional domestic’ offerings are a few of our goals.”

Learn more about Samuel Adams Brewing & Business Experienceship at www.btad.samueladams.com/how-we-help/brewing-and-business-experienceship.

During Boston Beer Company’s annual Great American Beer Festival breakfast, founder Jim Koch unveiled a new series of Samuel Adams ads and announced a new grant program that will give $1 million to early stage food and beverage companies.

Koch said the new series of folksy ads, which highlight hop selection in Germany for Samuel Adams’ flagship Boston Lager, focus on “craftsmanship” and “artisanal values.” The ads end with the tagline: “Brewed inefficiently since 1984.”

Koch said the new ads show the freedom independent craft breweries, such as Boston Beer Company, which is publicly traded, possess. They also help distinguish “craft brewers from big industrial brewers,” Koch added.

“You’re not a slave to the bottom line,” he said. “You can brew beer in a woefully or gloriously inefficient way.

“That distinguishes craft brewers from big industrial brewers,” he added.

Differentiation between small brewers and larger corporate beer companies presents a “big opportunity” for craft brewers, Koch said. Echoing comments made in the past by Founders Brewing co-founder and CEO Mike Stevens, Koch said craft brewers should be going after the 85 percent of the beer market beer consumers who don’t drink craft beer. Koch said those consumers are “up for grabs”

“To me, that’s necessary for the whole beer category,” he said. “We should all be trying to make beer interesting, exciting, engaging because today the sea of sameness can be boring to consumers. I’ll never forget what my dad said, ‘Jim, all beer is good, but some beer is better.’”

Following the meeting, Koch told Brewbound that the new ad campaign would launch within the next six weeks and include print and digital advertising. He added that the company is investing “serious money” into the campaign.

During the company’s second-quarter investors call, CFO Frank Smalla said the company planned to increase its spending on advertising, promotions and selling expenses between $15 and $25 million in 2018.

Koch also didn’t rule out a packaging refresh in the future.

“We’re not going to stop innovating,” he said.

Additionally, Koch announced that Boston Beer has committed to give $1 million in grants to small businesses in the food and beverage space in need of seed money that can’t qualify for loans.

“Some of ‘em are promising so we said, ‘Let’s take a million dollars and see if we can create a hundred successful small food and beverage business in the artisanal space,’” he said. “They create jobs and economic development just like craft beer does.”

Koch also told Brewbound that Boston Beer would begin fielding applications for the grants “now,” with a target of selecting about 100 recipients from 50 communities across the country in 2019.

“Many of them will be craft breweries,” he said.

Boston Beer will fund the grants from its bottom line, Koch added.

“That’s the value of independence,” he said. “I don’t have to go to some global company in a foreign country and say, ‘Can I do this?’ I’m not an employee. I’m an owner.”

Koch added that the new grant program would build upon Boston Beer’s Brewing the American Dream program, which has given millions of dollars in small business loans to food and beverage companies over the last two decades. At the end of the meeting, Koch announced this year’s Brewing the American Dream recipient, 1912 Brewing Company from Tucson, Arizona.

“We’re always trying to expand and build on the success of the program,” he said.