4 minute read
WITH TASSIE’S FEMALE “BEER BOSS” LAUREN SHEPPARD
TOURISM PROFILE: ONE-ON-ONE WITH TASSIE’S FEMALE “BEER BOSS”
For most of her professional life, Lauren Sheppard has been a minority in traditionally maledominated businesses.
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As General Manager at Tasmania’s largest independent craft brewery, Moo Brew, Lauren’s CV traverses the finance, superannuation, automotive and wine industries.
Photo credit: Museum of Old and New Art
But she – like so many other female powerhouses in the Tasmanian tourism industry – doesn’t want her success to be defined by her gender.
“I don’t want people to mention my gender. The product, the business and me as a businessperson with iconic Tasmanian brands is what should be important,” she says. “But what has become evident in the roles that I’ve worked in is that, in order for us to eventually talk about (gender equity) less, we first need to talk about it more.” It’s a conversation that Lauren believes will continue past this generation before the necessary change comes to fruition. Indeed, global economic reports have Australia sitting at 50th in the world for gender gaps on economic, political education and health-based criteria. For Lauren, it’s a conversation for which she is a reluctant but willing exemplar.
I’m a woman in the beer industry because I love Tasmania, beer and the liquor industry generally,” she says. “But I’ve got two daughters and I’m proud that my eight-year-old tells people that mummy’s a ‘beer boss’! I’d like there to be heaps of women in these kinds of roles, so if me being visible in this space helps another woman, I’d be very proud of that.
Photo credit: Museum of Old and New Art Lauren’s initiation into her role with Moo Brew was not without its challenges. When she was approached in the thick of Tasmania’s 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, she was working from home as the Business Operations Manager for the museum’s wine labels, Moorilla and Domaine A. “It was an interesting time to be thinking about recruitment, and it came with its challenges,” she recalls. “But I don’t like to stand still for too long, and I like the elements of change and improvement. I said yes and the rest is history.”
Photo credit: Museum of Old and New Art
Photo credit: Museum of Old and New Art
Since then, Lauren has worked closely with Moo Brew’s head brewer and her team to expand the brand’s reach, penetrate new markets and build on the business’ commercial success. “I have a reputation for being commercially-driven – I’m a tight-arse by nature,” she says. “I firmly believe in driving great product to market, but I also believe that the best approach to things has good results for the bottom line.” The brand’s goal to achieve greater market share had its masterstroke in the release of Brew Tassie Lager, a style that diverts from Moo Brew’s typical craft beers. “Our Moo Brew icons are on most of the wine lists of Tasmania, and they’ll never change,” Lauren says. “But we identified a gap for a more approachable style of lager that was really crisp, drinkable and approachable, both stylistically and price-wise.” So began a product development phase unlike anything Moo Brew had ever entertained before. The first step was to identify a new target customer (“not every craft beer drinker is middleaged, white and has a beard,” Lauren says), and focus groups then sought to discover the market’s beer-buying and drinking habits. “Our brewery is used to doing what we want to do, so asking this new customer what they want was new for us,” Lauren says. “I was adamant that I would not put a beer to market that the head brewer was not proud to call his, though. Brand reputation and perception is far more important than selling a few cartons.” In this case, Moo Brew achieved both. Launched at Mona Foma in January this year, Brew Tassie Lager now holds second place in the brand’s production volume. “It’s exciting that we could fill that gap in the market, but still make excellent beer that’s indicative of Moo Brew. We’re most proud of its quality and consistency – the market as a whole expects that from us.” Perhaps most importantly for Lauren, the style has been embraced by its eponymous market. She’s fiercely proud of being Tasmanian and prouder still that Brew Tassie Lager puts the spotlight on its locality.
We wanted to make sure that Tasmania was front-andcentre, and to acknowledge the trend to buy and support local. To have that smack bang on a can is our thanks for the local support our business has received and continues to receive.
