Leaders of Czech craft breweries and their ability to attract the customer

Abstract

More than 400 entrepreneurs decided to set up the craft brewery in the Czech Republic during the last decade. This industry becomes very dynamic due to increasing competition and changing customer requirements. Current beer consumers are interested in the process of brewing, raw materials used and can recognise the quality of beer. The leaders (entrepreneur) ability to attract the customer and knowledge of the competition built the competitiveness of craft brewery. This empirical paper aims to analyse the ability of leaders to communicate competitive advantage to potential customers. The qualitative approach using a semistructured interview with the owners as the leaders of craft breweries was incorporated. The research sample includes 23 craft breweries from five different regions in the Czech Republic. Breweries location is in cities, towns and small villages - the location was chosen due to different target customers. The data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis and deeply analysed and sorted into subcategories - causal events contributing to the phenomenon; descriptive details of the phenomenon itself; and the ramifications of the phenomenon. The results show that brewers know and reflect the requirements of customers in the location of the brewery. Nevertheless, the requirements differ according to the location. The customers at the villages are not usually interested in the competitive advantage and drink mostly traditional Czech lagers, special beers rarely. The bigger the municipality is, the more requiring the customers are. This reflects in a higher level of competition. These people also are knowledgeable about beer culture and brewing process. The craft brewery leaders perceive it and can communicate the whole process of brewing, discuss all raw materials used and advantages of each beer produced. They sell not only the beer but also the story of brewing and the brewery. They also know that is not enough and seek other ways to differentiate in additional services - restaurants, excursions or participation on brewing. The findings have practical implication for craft brewers and also enhance the current increasing academic discussion in strategic management in the brewing industry.