COVID-19 shutdowns didn’t happen until mid-March, but SoCal.Beer was already ahead of the game. Their online craft beer store launched on March 9th. They’re an Inland Empire collaboration that works to promote local breweries and help them get their beers to consumers. They also partner with other Southern California breweries to get their beers into the Inland Empire.
SoCal.Beer has same-day delivery and extensive shipping. They do brewery collabs, host events, and help small breweries get started with production, bottling and canning. Current members include Inland Empire Brewing, Garage, Euryale, Three Marm, California Wild Ales, and many more among a growing network.
If you want to jump right in, check out the SoCal.Beer website. If you want to know more, here’s our interview with co-owner, Kenneth Williams.
Hello, Ken. Thanks for joining us. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
Thanks for talking about SoCal.Beer today, Andrew, I’m really excited to see what your website does for the beer community. I joined Inland Empire Brewing Company as a co-owner four years ago. My role is marketing and product design.
And who is behind SoCal.Beer?
Jenn Jones, Dustin Tapp, and myself. We’re the ones who started the website. But it was a community effort. We owe a lot of gratitude to the breweries working with us. Their support and contribution of great ideas have helped make this the success that it’s become.
“What’s unique is that you can buy a range of craft beers from many different breweries, and have them delivered the same day.”
What exactly is SoCal.Beer?
It’s a brewery collaboration based in the Inland Empire. Our website is an online craft beer delivery service. What’s unique is that you can buy a range of craft beers from many different breweries, and have them delivered the same day. The delivery area is huge, from Rancho Cucamonga to Banning to Temecula. For customers outside our delivery zone, we ship via UPS.
What are the benefits for consumers?
Multiple craft breweries all in one place with weekly and monthly specials. A real genuine craft beer drinkers service. We bring everything that’s great and awesome about SoCal craft beer to your door, same day anywhere in the Inland Empire. SoCal.Beer is a mashup of craft liquor store, beer festival, beer of the month club, and fun afterparty in a bag. You get taster cups with every order, stickers, exclusive samples, and other goodies. Everyone needs a little something special right now.
“SoCal.Beer is a mashup of craft liquor store, beer festival, beer of the month club, and fun afterparty in a bag.”
Why did it start?
Like many business owners, I woke up to a new world and began looking for new ways to provide customers with our products. Online beer made sense, but I was dissatisfied with the shipping and delivery options available. I felt that, together with our craft beer community, we could provide something better. So, I grabbed my thinking pipe and a couple of industry friends and started working on a plan.
What else does SoCal.Beer do?
We created the company last year to help promote local Inland Empire breweries at beer festivals and other public events. Giving out beer, meeting fans in person, and handing out cool promo stuff became part of our culture. Jenn joined us over a year ago to manage beer festivals for our breweries. We provide the equipment, logistics, volunteers, and negotiate the space. Last year, we managed just over 100 festival booths! This year will have its challenges, but we’re working on more innovative ways to reach customers, like virtual beer festivals.
“Online beer made sense, but I was dissatisfied with the shipping and delivery options available.”
What are the benefits for the breweries?
The Inland Empire has some of the best craft breweries. It’s always been my primary mission to bring all those great beers to all of Southern California. Large chains and corporate distributors are difficult to work with. We represent a local alternative. Breweries get their beer shipped across the Inland Empire by knowledgeable and accountable in-house beer staff at competitive prices compared to other options. Our main goal is to help breweries get their beer into cans and out to customers in the most awesome way for everyone.
We also have a production space in Riverside. It’s maintained by Inland Empire Brewing, with equipment from various breweries. We work with small and emerging breweries on production, canning, and bottling. Our work ranges from product design and marketing to dedicated production space. We lease core equipment: fermenters, lager tanks, keg washer, mobile canning, and bottling machines. We also do branded beers like Insane Clown Posse’s Frothy Whoop Dub! If you’re looking for your own event beer or just want to get some beer into cans hit us up!
You started the website on March 9th. Did you predict these shutdowns?
Nope, we don’t have a crystal ball, unfortunately. We owe a lot of credit to the Inland Empire Brewers Guild and the City of Riverside who sent out early and regular communications to business owners. We had been watching what was happening at the time and began talking with the city and other leaders right away. A memo went out from the City of Riverside preparing us for closures. That same evening, we had a working website, the first deliveries going out the next day.
“Our primary goal is to make the best experience for Inland Empire customers: Fresh, ice-cold craft beer to your door the same day, 7 days a week.”
Do you consider yourself an IE organization or a SoCal organization?
Our primary goal is to make the best experience for Inland Empire customers: Fresh, ice-cold craft beer to your door the same day, 7 days a week. Whether you’re in Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Banning, Temecula, Hesperia or anywhere in between, we got you fam. Shipping is primarily California, but wherever ABC permits. If our member breweries have a license in another state, we have geofencing tools to make it all work.
Is consumer-direct your only sales platform?
Our wholesale coverage area is much larger and includes Los Angeles and San Diego. Convenience stores, bars, and beer buyers get wholesale membership prices and other products like kegs. Not all beers and options are available for purchase wholesale, but there are currently 25 different cans and a selection of about 8-10 staple beers in kegs.
I signed up for a Virtual Fest (Los Angeles) before we started talking. I didn’t know you guys were involved.
Oh man, these Virtual fests are really cool. You get a ticket, then you pick up the beers or have them shipped fresh to your door. On the festival day, you’ll get access to a video filmed at the breweries talking about their beers. It’s a really awesome and fun experience that can help connect a community at home. The San Diego and Orange County Fests each had over 1000 people. We’re helping to organize one in the Inland Empire, so if you’re a brewery with beer cans to sell we want to hear from you! If you’re a beer fan in the Inland Empire, get ready for something special.
“We created the company last year to help promote local Inland Empire breweries at beer festivals and other public events. “
Are you doing anything for the broader craft beer community?
Yup. Our goal is to provide an economical service to our craft brewery partners and customers. Our customers’ financial support goes to our member breweries, local in-house jobs. We’re offering deferred payment terms to any Inland Empire brewery that needs to get their beer into cans during this tough time. Product or label design is completely free for our members. There are a couple of special projects we’re working on that we know SoCal.Beer members are going to absolutely love! We’re continuing to support local Inland Empire charities through this time, and are members of “1% for the Planet” and “Vegan.Org.” We also foster two cats.
For our homebrewers out there, we’re proud to be sponsoring the Homebrew Competition again later this year in a new bigger space once our city has healed. Shout out to Ramon who did an amazing job organizing last year, looking forward to another year dude! Stay safe friends!
“Our primary goal is to make the best experience for Inland Empire customers: Fresh, ice-cold craft beer to your door the same day, 7 days a week.”
Thanks for your time, Ken.
We’re excited by what SoCal.Beer has to offer. Beer delivered and shipped fill a basic void right now, but we’re almost certain to see such models as part of the new normal. There are numerous organizations out there shipping beer, each with its own merits. SoCal.Beer is an excellent combination of diversity, speed, freshness, and affordability. Most notably they’re working with local Inland Empire breweries, helping the small guys get started and survive through difficult times.
Their website has a cool selection, and it’s constantly growing.
Visit: www.socal.beer
Businesses can email sales@socal.beer or hit that live chat icon on the website
