Georgia Exporter Spotlight: Sweetwater Brewing
A Q&A interview with Sowady Lor, Chief Explorer Officer
County: Fulton
Industry: Food & Beverage
SweetWater Brewing Company is a Georgia craft brewery started in 1997. The company has grown to be one of the top independent craft beer breweries in the United States.
How long has your company been exporting?
2017 was actually our first year exporting. Last year we entered a number of new markets including Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
What motivated your company to start selling internationally?
We started to realize the craft brew market in the United States was very competitive and to achieve the long-term growth that we envisioned for SweetWater we had to look outside the U.S. We basically sub-divided the world into three categories and prioritized our focus markets based on set criteria such as the ease and cost of doing business, influence on nearby markets and where American beer would be most accepted.
What is the biggest lesson your company has learned about exporting?
It takes time and effort to build a brand in a market, and in order to truly be successful the entire company must be involved with the export process. International business demands cross-functional tasks that involve every aspect of the company – marketing, sales, operations, finance, production, management, etc. At SweetWater we all “own” export and that is a huge part of what drives our success.
How have GDEcD’s International Trade Team and its partners helped your company achieve success internationally?
GDEcD’s trade division has added value to SweetWater’s export strategy from the very beginning. What stands out the most is the multi-functional aspect of how GDEcD works with Georgia exporters. They are very flexible in terms of services offered and cover a variety of areas – anything from prospecting, qualifying leads, reaching out to local distributors and helping with follow-up. We particularly appreciate the flexibility offered by GDEcD’s trade team. We can ask for help at any time during the export process from start to finish– whether it’s making introductions to high level officials, providing market research or leveraging its databases to check credentials on potential partners. It’s a resource we can call on at any time.
What advice do you have for companies that are just starting to export?
Don’t just jump at any opportunity that comes along. You need to think long-term and be strategic in your approach to exporting – that’s the only way to be truly successful. If you have a good product and a good story that is a start, but you need to be clear about your ambitions and export should be integrated into your company’s entire strategy. In truth, entering a market is easy, but maintaining the position is not. You have to remain open-minded and flexible in regards to language, culture and how business is conducted in the markets you target – remember that not every market will perceive your product the same way.
What has been your biggest export achievement?
From all the countries we entered last year, the Netherlands was one of our biggest successes despite being a difficult market to break into. Beer is very popular in the Netherlands, but the market for American brews is still developing and it’s not the easiest place to gain a foothold. Even with these challenges SweetWater has become one of the most successful craft beers in the country within just a year of hitting the market and is now one of our top 3 export destinations.
To learn more about SweetWater Brewing Company visit www.sweetwaterbrew.com.
###
Are you a Georgia business looking for help growing your international sales? Find out how Georgia’s International Trade Team can help at Georgia.org/Trade.