INSURANCE FOR breweries

Coverage – See above 👆🏻. More coverage means higher premiums. Specialty insurance programs designed for breweries automatically build many of these coverages into their policies.

Brewhouse – If your brewhouse is in a separate building from any/all inventory and finished beer or in a separate room with a 2-hour firewall between brewing operations and any and all inventory/storage, the best companies will offer the best pricing.

Revenue & Volume – Insurance premiums are driven by revenue. Insurance rates for a brewery are different depending on how you are generating those revenues (packaged beer, keg sales, contract brewing, wholesale, taproom, retail, etc.).

Taproom vs. Wholesale – On-site consumption presents a higher risk for liability, so the revenue you generate from your taproom is more expensive. Wholesale revenue is considered less risky.

Location, Location, Location – Wildfires, floods, neighborhoods with known criminal activity, etc. are factors. Mapping has allowed insurance companies to consider more specific location-based data.

Equipment Value – High-end brewing systems, fermentation tanks, boilers, chillers, and canning/bottling lines are expensive to replace.

Business Ops – Tastings, tours, live events, food service, delivery vans…the more humans (employees and customers) + moving parts, the greater the exposure for losses.

Claims History – A spotless record makes you look like a saint. If you have prior insurance claims, the insurance companies will find out.

Limits & Deductibles – When liability limits are high and deductibles are low, the insurance premiums are higher.

Safety & Compliance – Sprinklers, training, checklists are boring, but underwriters love boring. If you have good business systems in place, that not only ensures you’ll be a successful brewery, but it also means you are mitigating your risk for insurance losses.

Bundling – One insurer, multiple coverages. They’ll cut you a break for keeping it all in the family. This means package, auto, and umbrella coverage with one carrier generally means a lower overall premium.