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How to conquer the Tax and Inventory Mountain

Wyatt Kowalyshen May 17, 2023 4:17:30 PM
Three Bears Brewery Pint Glass with Beer in Front of Fire

Read about how Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant was able to use Brew Ninja to help them better calculate government taxes, as well as track their inventory and costs over time!

Conquering Mount Tax

Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant is a highlight tourist destination IN one of the most touristic places on earth. Some portion of their success can be attributed to having a tight handle on their operations, and access to data which allows them to make smart and efficient business decisions. But how were they able to make sure their brewery could continue to grow and succeed? Well...

Since Fall 2020, amid a re-brand to Three Bears Brewery and Restaurant, Stewart Brown, Brewery Operations Manager at Three Bears, realized that they were in need of a new software solution to help their brewery continue to thrive and grow in a competitive environment. Stewart realized that while they were able to cope as they were going, there were a number of things they could be doing better that would in turn lead to greater success and growth down the line.


There were a few major points of contention that Stewart and the team were looking to solve with a brewery management solution. For one, Three Bears is located in Alberta, Canada, and as such are held accountable to provincial and federal taxes and agencies. Three Bears wanted to make sure they had a program that would help them to calculate taxes for the federal government. Failure to properly account for your taxes can be very time consuming, and potentially even very costly. Needless to say, Stewart and the team needed to ensure they had their taxes properly accounted for in order to avoid headaches down the line.

 

Secondly, the Three Bears team needed a solution that could accurately track their inventory of both raw materials & finished goods. For any brewery, it's essential to know just how much beer you have on hand, as well as how much of each material you have on hand in order to properly plan and account for day to day operations.

Three Bears also wanted to be able to track their COGS as they brewed. Knowing the cost of each batch/brew, and each finished good, would allow them to more easily price their beer and respond to industry trends.

 

In short, Stewart and the Three Bears team knew that they needed to find a brewery management software to help them. After some research, they found Brew Ninja fit the bill, and Three Bears has been with Brew Ninja ever since.

 

Alleviating Inventory & Tax Stress

When Three Bears Brewery finally made the switch to using Brew Ninja, they described the software as a huge time saver which lead to efficiency improvements across the board.

Stewart has said that Brew Ninja has allowed them to save countless hours each month dealing with taxes alone. Being able to fill out tax forms using Brew Ninja, instead of tracking their sales and financial information in a spreadsheet manually has allowed them to save time, and simplified things for their staff as a whole.

Stewart believes that, "Brew Ninja has made monitoring COGS from batch to batch easy."

In particular, Stewart felt that the ability to provide up to date costs of raw material inventory to make business decisions has allowed Three Bears to make more informed decisions on purchasing and production. Given the rate of inflation and material costs always being on the rise, this is crucial. This also this helps breweries to better prepare for and adjust strategy accordingly based on outside market factors.

 

To summarize, Three Bears searched long and hard for a solution to fit their needs. They needed to make sure that they got it right, and that it did everything they needed to do (and that it was done well). When they found Brew Ninja, they were very pleased with the results. With just one platform, they were able to kill three birds with one stone (the birds being local taxes, inventory management, and COGS), and they haven't looked back since!

 

More about Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant

Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant is a brewery known for their amazing brews, fantastic food, and stunning location in beautiful Banff, Alberta. Whether visiting in Summer or Winter, one can rest and enjoy themselves knowing Three Bears has their back if you're looking for a good brew and great environment.


Despite only being open a couple of years, Three Bears has made a name for themselves as an excellent purveyor of great food and even better beers, and should NOT be missed when making a trip to the area of Banff.

 

If you're in the Banff area, visiting Alberta, or even if you find their beer on the shelf, you can't go wrong with trying some beer from Three Bears!

Find them online