Batch's equity crowdfunding campaign hit its maximum funding target of $1.5 million in just over a day after its public launch. Along with this came several equity crowdfunding records, including being the largest and fastest alcohol raise in Australia. This surpasses our own raise for The West Winds Gin back in 2018 which successfully closed after raising $932,000. Batch plans to use the funds raised to initiate its two-phase growth strategy, involving expansion through a unique hub and spoke model across NSW before looking further across the country.
Keys to Success
Loyal & Passionate Community Following
Batch Brewing has built its brand over the years with a strong community focus. With a loyal following of 50,000 people across all its social media channels, Batch's deep community ties meant that its followers were excited to have the chance to invest. Batch was able to further enhance the involvement of its community by offering engaging investor rewards such as lifetime discounts and brewery experiences. As a result, Batch was able to raise $1.15 million in its private expression of interest phase before going public.
Exciting Growth Potential
Batch’s venue-based expansion strategy provides a strong and scalable path towards company growth. With two successful venues in Sydney already brewing at capacity, the company is well-positioned to increase its brewing capabilities through additional locations. Batch’s focus on local communities further lends to this strategy, allowing it to develop venues through its unique hub and spoke model to serve the surrounding community. This approach will allow Batch to scale across the country while maintaining its core community values.
End-to-End Campaign Structure
Further contributing to the success of the Batch Brewing equity crowdfunding campaign was the way in which the process was structured. Working alongside Batch, we built and nurtured a strong list of early expressions of interest from both our own investor audience and from Batch’s customer community. This meant that when the raise launched privately, it rocketed past its minimum funding limit and well over the $1 million mark in just a couple days. This was also aided by three investor events held at the Batch venues, which gave investors a chance to meet the team, ask questions and sample the products!
What is Batch Brewing Company?
Batch is an Australian craft brewery with a focus on delivering exciting and unique craft beers with deep community engagement. Alongside its regular new flavours, Batch also has a core range of high-quality beers such as its American Pale Ale, Tasman Tango and Elsie the Milk Stout.
The company's talented team operates out of two main venues in Sydney's inner west with the main production brewery and tasting room in Marrickville, and an R&D and experimental brewery and tasting room in Petersham. Batch Brewing was one of the original craft breweries on the scene in Australia, helping to build and nurture the community that has developed to date.
Why we liked the company
Strong Traction to Date, Ready to Scale
Despite COVID-19 related shutdowns, Batch still generated an impressive $3.3 million in revenue and sold over 345,000 litres of beer in FY20. With production at capacity and excess demand not being met, Batch showed that it was ready to scale nationally. Batch already has long-term plans to build additional breweries and venues in order to meet the increasing demand for its craft beer further across NSW and Australia.
Talented & Experienced Team
Batch's team brings a wealth of experience ranging from sources including Lion and J.P. Morgan. Being some of the earliest to the craft brewing scene in Sydney, the Batch team has accumulated invaluable knowledge and experience around the craft brewing industry which have been key to its recent success.
Impressive Industry Achievements
Batch has achieved some of the highest honours in the craft brewing industry including being ranked the 3rd best craft brewery in NSW according to a Beer Cartel survey. This alongside numerous features in GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers are a true indicator of the quality of Batch's range of craft beers.
Emphasis on Sustainability and Giving
One of Batch's goals has been to minimise the impact of its brewing process on the environment. Batch has achieved this through sustainable sourcing of raw materials, carbon offset schemes and solar-powered storage facilities. If that wasn't enough, Batch is also heavily involved with local charities that have been nominated by customers and staff members.
Innovative Production Model
Batch prides itself on releasing new flavours of craft beer frequently, drawing inspiration from its community and sourcing its raw materials from sustainable practices. These kinds of methods stationed Batch as a pioneer of the Australian craft beer industry, delivering flavours that excited a variety of palates amongst craft beer lovers. It's these unique innovations and deep community engagement that gave Batch the foothold to launch an equity crowdfunding campaign with such a great outcome.
Looking Ahead
With the success of its raise, Batch intends to begin phase one of its two-phase growth plan immediately. This involves strengthening its NSW presence through a series of new taprooms in key locations fed by its Marrickville and Petersham facilities as well as assessing potential locations for future developments that still allow Batch to maintain its brand ethos and connection with the community.
Once this phase is complete, Batch will be primed to scale nationally and look towards building additional breweries and brewpubs to build their presence throughout Australia.
We’re so excited to see where Andrew and Chris take this great success story and to continue enjoying their amazing beers!