EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)- The Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the Trade Association for Independent Craft Breweries in Texas, is now receiving applications from future Texas craft brewery owners to join its grant program.
“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.”
Grantees will receive one year of a free membership, which has a value of $300, in the guild.
Members’ 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.
“Within our guild, competition is overshadowed by the camaraderie of its members,” member of the ownership team of “For the Culture Brewing in Houston,” and recipient of the grant in 2021 Carl Roaches Jr. said. “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 continually rising due to the ongoing cost increases for ingredients, equipment and continued logistic challenges that started during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guild states that they are aware of how people of color, women, non-binary individuals, and entrepreneurs outside of metropolitan areas are known to experience difficulties to get credit, capital, and other business supports that their white, urban counterpart 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 addition, in the grant program’s inaugural year, around thirty applications were submitted. Applicants represented every corner of Texas, 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.
Applications must be submitted by May 30. Eligibility criteria, award timeline, and the application form can be found here.
