Cowaramup Brewing Co has joined a the list of regional WA businesses adapting to the COVID-19 crisis by expanding their service offerings.
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The shutdowns saw the brewery close the doors to the public and saw a reduction in orders which presented an opportunity for the Brewery to work on getting their beer into 375ml cans.
Previously the business had sold most of their beer at the venue, distributing kegs to various bars around the South West and in the Perth area.
More on COVID-19 impacts in the South West
While canning was on the agenda for the next financial year, the global pandemic provided 'breathing space' that the brewery used to move on the plans earlier.
Head brewer Jeremy Good said as one of the smallest craft breweries in WA, production capacity had been a limiting factor in the ability to produce enough beer for the venue as well as for external distribution.
"I wouldn't say that COVID 19 has been a good thing for us or many other businesses in WA, particularly in the hospitality or tourism sectors, in fact it has been a very difficult time for most," Mr Good said.
"For us it really became a matter of survival.
"Well before COVID we had identified a need for greater brand recognition and awareness in the market simply because of the increased competition and rapid growth of the craft beer industry as a whole.
"We knew we needed to be putting beer in cans, however finding the time while running the brewery and restaurant was proving difficult as we are a small family owned operation.
"As most people are aware, any business growth is cash flow negative, so putting beer in cans during shut down is certainly a risky move however we have been working with our bank to assist with cash flow for JobKeeper and taken a big leap of faith".
Together with another Cowaramup based business, mobile-canning service The Rolling Publican, the Cowaramup Brewing Co team gathered in early May to start the process.
"Even the head chef, James Haggis, was up a ladder passing cans from the pallet to the production line with the second chef, Pati O'Meara stacking the finished cartons onto the pallets!"
Four beers have been canned - Pilsener, Hefeweizen, India Pale Ale and Chocolate Porter.
Cans will be sold in four packs and 16 can cubes and will be available at the Brewery and various bottle shops in the South West and Perth.
"People have been calling their local bottle shops asking when they will be getting Cowaramup beer in stock."
The brewery's focus on sustainability and the environment will see the four pack can holders reused through a return scheme which will give customers a discount on their next purchase when they return the packaging for reuse.
