Cowbell Brewing Co.: Building a Destination Brewery

Description

In late May 2018, Grant Sparling, chief development officer at Cowbell Brewing Co. (Cowbell), a high-growth destination brewery located in rural Blyth, Ontario, was considering the company’s long-term growth strategy. Whereas most craft breweries started in leased commercial space, Cowbell opened its doors in the summer of 2017 with a state-of-the-art brewing facility, packaging operation, bar, and restaurant, all housed in an iconic barn-style building on land owned by the Sparling family. Sparling was considering a range of expansion projects, including increasing Cowbell’s brewing capacity, launching a working farm concept, building a 15,000-capacity event venue, offering a bus shuttle service to and from London, constructing an on-premises hotel or inn, and opening a second restaurant location, possibly in Toronto. But how should he decide on the next offering to fuel Cowbell’s growth and expansion?

Learning Objective

The case can be taught at the graduate, undergraduate, and executive levels, and is particularly suited to courses that focus on the processes and challenges of new ventures in the post-start-up phase. It is also suitable for courses on family businesses. After discussing the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following: ·Understand the strategic and operational difficulties associated with leading the growth of a young firm. ·Establish a process and a set of criteria for identifying and prioritizing a set of available and practicable options for growth. ·Appreciate the complexity associated with pursuing growth opportunities in a firm that is (1) very young, (2) based in a particularly rural community, and (3) family owned and operated. ·Evaluate changes to business models in light of the mission and vision of the firm.

Keywords

Business Model Complexity Growth