Page 49 of Trusting You
“Is there any way to get around this?”
“Not that I know of. The other problem is that there is a huge legal gray area. A lot of the big distributions engage in pay to play.”
“You mean you have to pay them to sell your product?”
“Yes. In addition to the huge percentage of the sales, we have to pay them kickbacks on top of that just for placing our product, and sometimes even kickbacks to the retail store or bar for stocking the product. When you are small like us, it makes it really hard to compete. A corporate manufacturer can line everyone’s pockets to make sure they are fully stocked everywhere. We don’t have that luxury.”
I was pissed. This was some dishonest bullshit. Binnacle’s product was great. They deserved to be served everywhere.
“We’re trying to work within the system. But it’s so expensive and not really sustainable. I’ve met so many brewers who didn’t make it because they got screwed over by unethical distribution companies.”
“But you can’t grow unless you widen distribution.”
“Exactly. So we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Shane is great. He is an awesome sales rep for the brand, but we can only afford him part-time, and his contacts only spread so wide.”
He took a sip of his coffee. “It’s just not a level playing field.”
“Well, have you thought about playing on another field?”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t play with the big brands—I get that. Competing with them for distribution is difficult, especially if the people you pay to distribute your beer don’t have your best interests at heart. So create a new field. For yourself and others like you.”
I got up and started to pace around. Liam was smart and savvy and had a professional network of other craft brewers. He had the knowledge and the contacts to actually do something about this problem. “Why not build your own distribution company? You know every microbrewery on the eastern seaboard. What if you all got together and did it in a way that benefits small breweries instead of disadvantaging them?”
“I have no idea how to even do that.” He didn’t seem remotely interested in my idea.
“I bet it’s easier than you think. These distributors, I doubt they are business geniuses.”
“No, they are not.”
“You are smart and you have connections. Doesn’t your family business involve distributing perishable goods?
He smiled. “Oh, right. Declan does oversee the distribution of fish all over the Northeast.”
“Bingo!” I shouted. “He could help. He knows all about distribution networks.”
“I can’t ask for his help.” His face was firm. For a few seconds, it had seemed like he was into what I was saying and then he just shut down.
“Why not? He’s your brother, and judging by how much time he spends here, he loves your beer.” I didn’t know Declan well, but underneath the gruff exterior was a guy who loved his family. He clearly supported Liam and his business, so I couldn’t imagine him not wanting to help in some way.
Liam sipped his coffee. His body language was closed off, and he seemed annoyed with me. “It’s a good idea, I’ll give you that. But I don’t know if I could do it. And I don’t have the time or the energy.”
“You could give Trent more responsibility at the brewery while you work on this. He is really smart, and I think he wants to do more.”
Now he looked really annoyed. “So now you are an expert on Trent?”
“No. It’s just he’s capable of a lot more than you think he is.”
“We have been best friends since we were five. I think I know him.”
I started to feel guilty. I had clearly overstepped, and Liam was reacting badly. I just really wanted to help him. I wanted him to see what I saw. I think he could do much more if he opened his mind and accepted more help and outside expertise once in a while.
“Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion.”
He got up from the couch and went back to his desk. “Thanks for your input, but I got this. I’ll figure something out. We have enough coming in from the taproom and events to float things while I figure it out.”
Was he brushing me off? After everything that had happened between us? Or was he just in a bad mood and I pushed him too hard?
