Guild's grant program now open for aspiring Texas craft brewers

Image credits: Texas Crafty Brewers Guild, Method Architecture.

Continuing an initiative started in 2021, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild is accepting applications for a grant program to support aspiring Texas craft brewery owners. Grantees will receive one year of free membership (a $300 value) in the Guild, the trade association for independent craft breweries in Texas. The grant program is funded by Method Architecture, a Texas-based firm that is also a longtime member of the Guild. 

“Becoming a Guild member in the earliest phases of a brewery project can prevent wasted time, expenses, headaches and heartaches down the road, so the benefits of membership are very real,” says Meg Ellis, deputy director of the Guild. “And from an industry perspective, this grant program goes a long way toward making our industry more inclusive, creating an on-ramp for entrepreneurs who might not otherwise see themselves reflected in our membership.”

According to a press release, Brewery in Planning member benefits include accessing the Guild’s library of recorded and live online educational resources, attending monthly member meetups and annual conferences, connecting with nearly 250 veteran brewery owners and more than 70 in-planning peers statewide, and networking with hundreds of vendors who will be critical to their success as brewers and business owners.

Deidre and Will Amaya, the husband-and-wife team who recently opened Bay Area Brewing Company in Rockport, Texas, were grant recipients in the 2023-2024 cycle. 

“The Brewery in Planning Grant is not just a monetary award. To us it was a lot more,” reflects Deidre. “We [used] the recognition as an opportunity to build our brand and grow our community following as we sought crowd funding and being taken seriously in a lucrative coastal real estate market.”

Entering the craft brewing industry is difficult, and start up costs continue to climb along with rising costs of ingredients, equipment, staffing, and the continued logistics challenges that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have demonstrated that people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and entrepreneurs outside of metropolitan areas experience barriers to credit, capital, and other business support.

“We know the barrier to entry for starting a new business can be tough, especially for minority business owners,” said Jackie Rye, partner at Method Architecture and project lead for breweries including True Anomaly Brewing of Houston and Bear King Brewing of Marble Falls. “Our hope is that the grants allow these entrepreneurs to focus on what they do best and fully embrace the resources available within the craft beer community.”

In the program’s inaugural year, around thirty applications were submitted representing every corner of the Lone Star State, including projects in Prosper, Tyler, College Station, Missouri City, and Allen, demonstrating the reach and appeal of craft beer businesses for residents in rural, suburban, and urban communities alike.  To date, 18 grants have been awarded. This year, the organization aims to award five more grants.

Applications must be submitted by May 31, 2024. Eligibility criteria, award timeline, and the application form can be found at https://texascraftbrewersguild.org/method-bip-grants.