RUMSON, New Jersey – The Independent Brewers Alliance (IBA) – craft beer’s only member-owned purchasing cooperative – is excited to announce the hiring of Laurie Jeffries as its new Director of Brewer Recruiting. Laurie’s mission is simple. Her role is to make the cooperative even stronger by bringing new U.S. and Canadian breweries of all sizes onboard.
As Matt Hopkins, the IBA’s Executive Director put it, “Membership is everything. The more members we have the greater our leverage to negotiate new and stronger programs to save member-brewers money. With our current member base of just over 150 brewers we can save the typical brewery tens of thousands each year. Imagine what we could do with twice as many members.”
Laurie Jeffries background includes cofounding the successful and internationally recognized Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, MI. There she helped the brewery gain distribution, open seven restaurants and develop productive relationships with suppliers, distributors and the brewery’s staff.” Said Matt, “All that makes Laurie the perfect person to talk to brewers. She knows this business and the challenges involved in starting and growing a successful brewery from the inside.”
Laurie is equally excited to take on her new role. “I believe in the IBA’s mission,” she said. “Craft beer is a crazy, wonderful industry, but it’s also extremely competitive and facing all kinds of cost and supply challenges. I can’t think of a better way to support it than by helping breweries drop their cost of goods and gain better access to the materials they need.”
ABOUT THE INDEPENDENT BREWERS ALLIANCE
The IBA leverages the combined buying power of its over 150 member-brewers to negotiate long-term savings programs with key industry suppliers. The IBA’s full-time staff creates the savings programs. Members tap into only those programs that are right for their brewery. Programs currently include cans, kegs, chemicals, hops, hose, safety equipment, glassware, all kinds of packaging, office supplies, business insurance and much more. The IBA was founded in 2016 with the goal of helping member-brewers stay strong in the industry’s increasingly competitive environment.
For More Information:
https://www.brewersalliance.org/