No more barrels for pubs, parties, hotels or restaurants: Breweries all over Bavaria are fighting against the pandemic-related loss of sales.
The Lower Bavarian brewery Viechtach is now trying crowdfunding.
Viechtach - Three years ago, Markus Grüsser (56) from Cologne took over the traditional brewery in Viechtach (Regen district).
He took care of new systems, a new fleet of vehicles and new logos on bottles and crates.
Due to the pandemic, the brewery then suffered major losses.
But the Viechtach brewery already has a plan to raise funds: budget through crowdfunding.
On the investment
website Seedmatch
, the managing director explained why he hoped the campaign would be very popular.
Beer has been brewed in the Lower Bavarian town since 1553.
Markus Grüsser from North Rhine-Westphalia, who had previously gained experience in management and marketing with several beverage manufacturers across Germany for over 30 years, acquired the traditional Viechtach brewery in 2018.
Brewery plans further investments with the help of crowdfunding
In 2019 there was a "successful relaunch" of the beer after investing three quarters of a million in the brewery.
For new systems, pipes, lines and seals.
With the motto "Back to the Roots" a new logo in the style of the 60s and 70s.
After the outbreak of the coronavirus * and the associated losses, the community brewery concentrated on selling bottles.
They were looking for new dealers and beverage markets and set up an online shop in which they can shop across national borders.
Now Grüsser is looking for further investors.
The managing director is hoping for a total of half a million euros from the crowdfunding campaign.
He would like to invest the money in a sales representative as well as in a more environmentally friendly refrigeration system and an expansion of the social media channels.
In addition, a “nationwide 'road show' at the point of sale with our Bayerwald beer protection area” is on the agenda.
Viechtacher fans can get tattoos with a logo
The funding campaign on Seedmatch will start on Thursday (April 22nd).
You can invest in the company from 250 euros and the investors get involved if you make a profit.
As is usual with crowdfunding campaigns, however, there is also the risk that the money will simply be gone if the company cannot hold out.
And in his opinion, the chances of success are not bad, since there are many fans of the beer: “For example, at least 20 young people have our logo tattooed on themselves,” he says.
He also observed in social media that many Viechtachers take their beer with them on vacation.
“I've never seen anything like it in 30 years,” says Grüsser.
The Viechtacher beer is now sold not only in Bavaria, but also in Berlin, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony.
Increased bottle sales cannot compensate for the losses caused by the pandemic
The brewery hopes that things will look up again in 2022 after the corona pandemic.
Because although the proportion of private customers buying bottles has risen significantly, the lack of barrel sales, because pubs, restaurants and hotels have to be closed, are missing.
Just like street and folk festivals, where large quantities can be sold.
Therefore, the breweries are struggling with the crisis.
In the process, however, new ideas arise again and again, such as making schnapps out of beer *.
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