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Need help self-distributing your craft beer? Opentapp might be the answer

January 20, 2016Chris Crowell

Opentapp distribution
Is this app the answer to your self-distribution dreams?

Beer distribution isn’t really about distributing (the action of sharing something out among a number of recipients), it is about power. Who gets in the door? How much? Where? How often? These are the only questions that constantly gnaw at the executives of Big Beer. Seriously, they toss and turn in their coffins all day thinking about it.

Amid the Big Beer power struggle, unfair distribution contracts and local political wrangling for more control, craft breweries need all of the help they can get, especially when they maintain that power for themselves and self-distribute. This is what we like about Opentapp, an app designed to allow smaller manufacturers and retailers to capitalize on self-distribution by networking, utilizing location services and e-commerce to allow direct transactions between retailers and manufacturers. Here’s a little background from the Opentapp team:

“Opentapp was created by brewers (The Massachusetts Bay Colony Brewers). In our endeavor to start our own brewery we ran into several dead ends trying to secure a distributor and decided to pursue self-distribution. We found that there needed to be a way for local manufacturers to network with local retailers in order to get their products out.”

RELATED: Craft beer self-distribution refresher: Does your state make the list?

Opentapp allows retailers to manage their self-distributing contracts and even place orders to local manufacturers to receive products the same day. The application also gives retailers the ability to search for and order craft spirits on their smartphone. All self-distributed products in one area are combined onto one online order sheet, making the app easier than dealing with multiple paper order sheets, excel documents, or email chains. The convenience of the application should boost sales for breweries trying to pick up new contracts.

Look, the three-tier system, despite the ugly power struggles, is actually pretty useful for craft breweries on the whole (at least at the moment). Independent brewers have a much better shot at getting their products to travel far and wide and sit on a retail shelf than an independent creator of, say, toothpaste or mustard. But the craft brewing industry and the demand for craft beer have both grown at an insane rate — a rate that the post-Prohibition distribution solution doesn’t have all of the answers for.

But to be a reality, Opentapp needs some help. The team recently launched a Kickstarter campaign, with a goal of raising $60,000 to fund creation of the application. Head to the page and see what it is all about.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. KCHopTalk says

    January 24, 2016 at 3:14 pm

    Need help self-distributing your craft beer? Opentapp might be the answer https://t.co/ClfQEHwIjA

    Log in to Reply
  2. SimianBeerCo says

    January 22, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    Need craft beer self-distribution help? Opentapp could be the answer and is pretty awesome sounding. https://t.co/pEiiJJ80Mw

    Log in to Reply
  3. MythicalBrew says

    January 22, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    Definitely something on our radar here at the Mythical Citadel….

    https://t.co/azjCiY1imu

    Log in to Reply
  4. Opentapp says

    January 21, 2016 at 1:14 pm

    Need craft beer self-distribution help? Opentapp is the answer https://t.co/ApPLbnLmV6 Check us out on https://t.co/FLzBOG7cqT

    Log in to Reply
  5. Lynn Johnson says

    January 20, 2016 at 11:36 am

    Lynn Johnson liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  6. Lou Harper says

    January 20, 2016 at 11:36 am

    Lou Harper liked this on Facebook.

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  7. crsimp01 says

    January 20, 2016 at 10:34 am

    Need craft beer self-distribution help? Opentapp is the answer https://t.co/6jx2pfTag8 via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply

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