The recent American Craft Spirits Association Conference was held in Denver and here are three key takeaways from seminars we attended.
Distillers + Farmers needs to work together. Root Shoot Malting and other panelists explained how they can better collaborate with distillers to provide a truly unique process. Not only can they grow speciality grain, they can also be a part of your production story to help your brand stand apart. Traceability is important when it comes to grain and these local farmers can give you that kind of insight and detail for your story.
Start with stock then move on. A seminar on packaging trends and best practices pointed out that most new brands need to start with a stock bottle for cost efficiency. As the brand grows, custom glass is an option, but you are better off if you can have one bottle that can be altered to fit a line of spirits. You need to think about everything from bottling line to storage to the store shelf. The panelists recommended that you figure our your brand first and then decide on your next iteration of the bottle as the package should represent your visual voice.
Compliance. From health claims to content creators, the compliance panel touched on following the right procedures. Something as small as a hashtag can get your hand slapped if it does reference low cal or low carb. They also said any gift - whether that’s a free cocktail at your tasting room or entry into a brand sponsored event - is considered an ad when it comes to creators. These posts need to include the brand’s mandatory and moderation but it could be something like a bit.ly link versus having to type the entire statement out in the post.
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