I N S U R A N C E
Whether you brew beer, distill
spirits or make wine, you take
part in a passionate mix of
art and science. The chemistry and liability
involved in the products leaves craft
beverage makers at risk. The insurance
industry, in all its low-risk tolerating glory,
has often been hesitant to protect certain
aspects of the business. While some insurance
providers might categorize breweries,
wineries and distilleries in the same
category as food and beverage manufacturers,
there are several additional considerations
when it comes to protecting
your craft.
Protect Your Craft
How specialty insurance can protect your passion
By Nick Cassells and Stephen Smith, Mclean Hallmark Insurance
Denphumi Jaisue / 123rf
Unique Branding
What do brewers care about more than
anything? Undoubtedly, it’s producing great
beer. But there’s a whole lot more to creating
a craft beer brand.
One thing that too often goes overlooked
is intellectual property. Everything
from the label, to the name of the beer,
to the associated web domains need to
be carefully selected to give an individual
identity that consumers will associate with
the brewery.
But as the craft beer market grows
increasingly dense, building a unique brand
can be challenging. In fact, several breweries
have run into trademarking issues when
their brand and products run too closely to
another brewery’s.
Product Recall
Brewing good beer requires being a
chemist. But, like any science experiment,
things do go wrong. In terms of crises,
this one may be the costliest for brewers.
Whether it was a problem with the cans
or simply a botched batch that made it
through, a product recall is a major blow
to craft breweries.
The reason for the recall isn’t always
covered. When shopping for coverage
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