“We’re back open for business baby!” You could feel the excitement. You could hear the sounds of chairs sliding across taproom floors and/or outdoor decks, as craft spirit lovers (almost) everywhere began resetting their strategies for the next scene in this ill-timed play we are all living in.
I admit it. In a previous editorial, I talked about a trip I made to a couple of wineries in North Georgia to try and bring back some sense of normalcy to this whole nightmare we are living in. And let’s call it what it is—a nightmare.
Now, just as many brewers across the country started to meticulously strategize their game plans, some were forced to go back to the first part of the plan—either shut down or offer curbside pickup only.
We are back to finding ways to keep the world spinning in the direction we want it to spin. We are back to trying to find the best ways to give the people what they want—our products.
I cannot keep it; I admit it. I know you cannot either. If you want to use the most overused phrase since “the best thing since sliced bread,” then this is our “it is what it is” moment. We are back to finding ways to keep the world spinning in the direction we want it to spin. We are back to trying to find the best ways to give the people what they want—our products.
So yes, here we are. Not back where we started, but just taking one to the chest. But as I canvas the all of the stories of what you are doing out there and how much you love what you do, it is inspiring. The truth is that we all learn from each other. We do not copy what we see someone doing successfully because we are trying to get away with something, we do it because it works.
And some of you are succeeding in doing things right. So alter your hours, add more curbside pickup, do whatever it is you have to do. Just don’t give up. There is no reason to stop being the marketplace that everyone wants to share some little piece of—from making products people want, to spending a few hours at a place where you can hang out with friends.
We’ll get back to where we were. Until then, keep fighting the good fight.
Story by Michael J. Pallerino, editor of Craft Brand & Marketing magazine. Over the past 30-plus years, he has won numerous awards, including the “Jesse H. Neal Editorial Achievement Award,” recognized as the Pulitzer Prize for business-to-business magazines. He can be reached at mikep@ccr-mag.com.