RETAILER PROFILE: MY BEER DEALER

My Beer Dealer: specialising in success

The small group of independent beer stores has just opened its third, and largest, Brisbane outlet - Seamus May hears how a strong beer focus has driven such expansion.

Although My Beer Dealer began as a side project to a bar, it has now grown to become a successful business in its own right.

Matt Emmerson, Co-owner, Retail Manager and Chief Beer Taster explains: “Initially My Beer Dealer started as an attached bottle shop to our mothership Brewski [a beer bar in Petrie Terrace, QLD].

“The concept was simply to have a full range offering but a ‘beer first’ brand approach. It’s what we know best, it felt like a way to stand out in Brisbane where there are a few stand out indies that have a great range of beer, but a wine focused brand.

“It’s been very rewarding seeing our concept evolve from the first shop at 47 square metres into a 148 square metre space.”

In setting out on the My Beer Dealer journey, Emmerson and fellow Coowner, Antoinette Pollock, wanted to be ahead of the craft beer curve and use this as a point of difference to other retailers in the area. Independence, and supporting others with the same ethos, was core to this goal.

“When we launched there was a definite gap in the beer market. The majors were only just dipping their toe in the craft beer segment properly. The My Beer Dealer team are all beer nerds at heart so we wanted to bring the style of bottle shop we’d all seen in cities across the globe into our hometown,” Emmerson said.

“We also wanted to have Queensland’s largest and freshest range of Australian and international craft beer, all refrigerated and 100 per cent independent.

“We’re a small family business and we simply want our dollars to go back to other family businesses, thus the independence stance.”

The sheer range of the brews in the My Beer Dealer offering is another key drawcard the business has cultivated, helping it connect with adventurous beer drinkers.

“Our biggest differentiator beer wise is our range, it sits between 600650 beers at any one time, and of course, our staff. Our customers love the knowledge and passion from our crew,” Emmerson says.

“We believe we’ve got a unique offering that talks to people who have a curious palate. And that’s everyone really, a lot of them just don’t know it yet.”

And there is more to come with this as well, with My Beer Dealer looking to discuss growth with potential partners and dipping its toe into outof-home marketing.

While the journey has been largely positive, there have still been challenges for the group of stores. Emmerson said supply was one recent difficulty, particularly with international brands.

“We give shipping dates a month leeway with our planning schedules which is crazy, some weeks we have gaps for 20 SKUs, the next week we have 20 SKUs waiting for a spot in the fridges. I’m hoping time heals this problem,” he said.

Another of Emmerson’s concerns right now is for the wider beer industry, so he hopes that retail philosophies like that of My Beer Dealer can help make a difference.

“I am really worried about a lot of the medium to larger sizes breweries around the country. With the majors championing their own brands, a soft market and a lot of deferred excise now being owed to the ATO, it’s not going to take a lot for things to go south quickly,” Emmerson said.

“That’s why I think indies supporting indies is so important. It really is about the survival of burgeoning industry.”