Established in 1980 in the heart of the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, Chiltern Brewery previously relied on a combination of limited brewery management software, spreadsheets and paper-based processes to manage its operations.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about Chiltern Brewery?
Hi, I'm Dave, and I'm the head at Chiltern Brewery. We're in the heart of the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, and we first started in 1980.
Can you take us back to what things looked like before Breww? Where were the pain points?
Before we started using Breww, we were using another brewery management system, but it was quite limited. We were still relying heavily on pen and paper, with a small amount of Excel.
Cask tracking was particularly difficult because everything was recorded manually. We relied on the driver's memory to remember where casks had been delivered and where they needed collecting from.
"That meant quite a few casks went missing at different stages, and it was difficult to track them down."
What was the tipping point that made you look for a new system?
We'd been considering switching brewery management systems for a while, but the main tipping point was Covid.
"We already had an online shop, but we went from receiving just a few orders to more than 30 orders a day."
Managing those orders, picking stock, scheduling delivery dates and handling duty was all very manual and time-consuming.
We needed to find a way to make that process more efficient.
Were there any tools or systems you were replacing or trying to move away from?
We wanted to replace the outdated brewery management software we were using and move away from relying so heavily on pen and paper.
We needed a better way to organise everything and manage the day-to-day running of the brewery.
If you had to pick one standout improvement since switching to Breww, what would it be?
For me, the standout improvement has been the delivery section.
Orders come straight into Breww, and with just a few clicks we can assign them to the correct delivery date, add them to a delivery run and optimise the route.
Previously, this was all done manually and took a huge amount of time.
"That's probably saving us around five hours a day."
How has the data you now have access to changed the way you plan or make decisions?
The information we can now access means we can plan and forecast much more efficiently.
From a production point of view, we can see how much stock we have and use that information to plan our brew schedules.
Before Breww, we were doing stock takes manually, using paper and Excel. Now we can access the information we need in just a few clicks.
"We can also see which customers have previously bought particular seasonal beers. That helps us identify who we could approach when those beers are available again, or when we have something similar to offer."
Having that information available makes forecasting, stock management and planning a lot easier.
Are there any reports, dashboards or insights you now rely on that you didn't have before?
There are a few reports and dashboards we now use regularly.
One is the completed batch yield report, which helps us see where we're losing beer and look at ways to reduce wastage.
We also receive an automated weekly email showing items sold by product. That helps us see what's selling, keep track of stock and plan ahead.
Another really useful feature is the containers dashboard.
"We can quickly see which customers have had a cask for more than two months and arrange to collect it. That makes the casks less likely to go missing."
It's also a good opportunity to get in touch with those customers. If they haven't ordered for a while, we can see whether they need anything else while we're arranging the collection.
How have you found the Breww support team?
"The Breww support team have been excellent since we joined."
We had quite a lot of questions, especially at the beginning, and they've always been answered quickly and efficiently.
The team are knowledgeable, friendly and really hands-on. They've been great to work with.
Can you share any specific results, whether time saved, revenue growth, fewer errors or clearer planning?
The biggest saving has definitely been time.
With our webshop integrated into Breww, orders come straight into the system. We can assign delivery dates, put orders onto delivery runs and optimise the routes without having to manage everything manually.
"That's saved us around five hours a day on deliveries."
We've also saved time on stock takes, reporting and forecasting. Previously, we'd have to manually check stock and work through the information ourselves.
Now we can quickly run reports, see what we've sold, check stock levels and use that information to plan production.
"I'd estimate that's saved us another three to four hours a week."
It's made it much easier to see what stock we have, what's selling well and when we need to brew particular beers again.
If you had to summarise the biggest benefit of Breww, what would it be?
"The biggest benefit of Breww for us has been the time saved. It's basically like a one-stop shop for running your brewery."
What would you tell another brewery thinking about switching to Breww?
"If you're thinking about switching to Breww, I'd say just go for it. Take out the free trial and see how you get on."
One of the things I really like is that it's not just a standalone platform. Improvements are being made all the time, and the community is encouraged to suggest ideas and ask questions.
Those ideas are actually acted upon, so the software keeps improving.
You can also go into the community forums, see what other breweries are asking and how they're using the system, and pick up ideas that might help your own brewery.
It's a great way to learn from other breweries, and you can often find useful answers without even needing to contact the Breww team.