Today, I sit down with Sean Lawson the founder behind Sip of Sunshine to unpack how careful planning, advisory boards, and a purpose-first mindset can carry a brewery through hypergrowth, supply shocks, and a once-in-a-century pandemic.

Sean walks us through the early days of homebrewing, the decision to contract brew at Two Roads to meet demand without giving up ownership, and the leap to a state-of-the-art Vermont facility just 16 months before lockdowns.

We explore how a high share of packaged product, strong retail relationships, and authentic brand loyalty kept the business resilient. As a certified B Corp, Lawson’s and has contributed millions to nonprofits focused on healthy communities—proving that purpose can be a growth engine, not a side note.

On the operational side, Sean opens the playbook: annual planning with monthly and quarterly reviews, KPI dashboards that spotlight cash, gross margin, COGS, and velocity, and a quarterly advisory board that challenges assumptions without dictating decisions.

We dig into the hard lessons from overcommitting on hops and preprinted cans, why vendor relationships matter when renegotiating contracts, and how to make tough people decisions while staying transparent and fair.

If you’re scaling a craft brand you’ll leave with practical tactics for forecasting, budgeting, negotiating, and building a cadence that turns numbers into action.

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Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

What does it take to scale from a bold idea to a beverage category leader?

We sit down with Athletic Brewing’s CFO Evan Zawatsky and communications leader Chris Furnari to dig into the decisions that powered Athletic’s rise: owning production, investing in quality, and building a marketing engine that turns awareness into velocity.

Evan opens the playbook on why Athletic poured serious CapEx into state-of-the-art breweries in Connecticut and San Diego.

That move secured quality control, unlocked flavor innovation, improved margins, and gave the team agility to grow without supply constraints.

Chris explains how the brand story evolved from convincing people to try non-alcoholic beer to showing who it’s for: active, balance-minded drinkers who want great beer flavors throughout the week.

Together, they share how “cans in hands” at race finish lines and community events are key to brand building, how partnerships and earned media create the surround sound needed to convert trial into repeat purchase.

If you care about brewery finance, brand strategy, or the surge in non-alcoholic beer, this podcast is packed with practical and clear frameworks you can apply at any scale.

Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.

In today's podcast we show how breweries can turn recipe development and process innovation into real cash using the federal R&D tax credit, plus a clear path to claim refunds retroactively.

Maggie Crowley and Devin Medrick from Leyton explain the IRS tests, missed opportunities, state add-ons, and energy efficiency deductions.

• What the IRS four-part test means for brewing work
• Real examples: first-batch runs, recipe changes, process tweaks
• Eligible costs: wages at three levels, contractors, supplies
• Simple documentation that passes audit standards
• Typical credit ranges and three-year lookbacks
• State credits that stack with federal benefits
• Startup payroll tax offset for young breweries
• Recent law changes reversing R&D cost capitalization
• 179D and cost segregation for building upgrades
• Quick steps: check Form 6765 and ask your head brewer

Want to learn how your brewery can unlock R&D tax credits? Reach out to Maggie Crowley, mcrowley@leyton.com or visit Leyton for more details.

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Ready to transform financial results in your beer business? Learn more about the Beer Business Finance Association, a network of owners and managers working together to build more profitable companies.