Craft Brewing Beacon of Success: Green Beacon's winning strategy with Fishbowl software, global deals, and CUB acquisition

Fishbowl inventory management: One of the key ingredients behind Green Beacon Brewing’s success

At a brutal time for the Australian craft brewing industry — with breweries closing down at an alarming rate — Green Beacon Brewing Company has defied the odds.

Off the back of the Brisbane-based craft brewer securing a landmark partnership with Singapore Airlines, they set themselves up for a lucrative sale to brewing giant Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), now owned by Japanese conglomerate, Asahi.

Green Beacon’s Finance Lead, Lisa Coller, says that critical to the sale was Fishbowl inventory management software which offered the most comprehensive and accurate data about the state of the business.

“Prior to Fishbowl we had no idea about costing of batches, it was a complete guess,” said Lisa. “As we moved into the acquisition from Asahi, of course they wanted to know a lot of key information and with Fishbowl we were able to provide what they needed.”

Crafting success: Green Beacon rises above industry challenges

Founded in 2013 by two mates with a dream to create a world-class beer culture in Brisbane, Green Beacon Brewing quickly grew from its humble beginnings in Teneriffe to become a pioneer of the local craft beer scene. By 2017, the brewery expanded with a state-of-the-art production site in Geebung, tripling its output and positioning itself as a major player in the Australian craft beer industry.

As one of only three Australian breweries chosen to partner with Singapore Airlines, Green Beacon’s products are now served to passengers on one of the world’s most prestigious airlines. This major endorsement is a testament to the brewery’s exceptional quality and operational excellence.

Against the grain: operations focus helps defy industry trends

Prior to implementing Fishbowl, Green Beacon faced significant operational challenges. The brewery relied on a manual system that lacked control over production, stock levels, and logistics, making it difficult to meet the growing demand for its products nationwide. By adopting Fishbowl, Green Beacon transformed their processes to meet these challenges.

“Fishbowl has been instrumental in helping us optimise our operations, streamline our inventory, and ensure the consistent quality that Green Beacon is known for,” said Lisa. “In a tough market, this technology gave us a competitive edge, allowing us to scale efficiently and meet the demands of high-profile partnerships like Singapore Airlines.”

Precision control over inventory streamlines production processes

The introduction of Fishbowl also brought significant improvements to daily work practices. Features such as purchase order visibility, batch tracking, and detailed sales reporting have given Green Beacon unprecedented control and insight into its operations.

“Prior to Fishbowl, there was a manual system in place but it really wasn’t working and our team weren’t using it either,” said Lisa. “There was no control over production or stock levels and no way of measuring the cost of the stock.”

“Obviously, we started to deliver all over the country and everything was really ad hoc prior to Fishbowl, so there was a real need to measure the production, measure the stock and to reconfigure the logistics.”

Real time visibility over cost of production enhances scalability

A standout feature of Fishbowl has been its impact on production costing, a crucial factor in Green Beacon’s operational efficiency and financial clarity.

“By far the biggest benefit is definitely the costing of the production, where with Fishbowl each batch can now be easily costed,” said Lisa. “It’s because we’re pulling in the Bill of Materials (BOM) and all of the granular detail that it provides, where previously we didn’t have that in full.”

Sales lifted with improved quality control and visibility of stock

With automated workflows and detailed tracking, Green Beacon ensures that every batch can meet their high standards, and sales staff are equipped with the right information to foster trust with partners and consumers.

“The big gains Green Beacon have made from using Fishbowl have been around improving the quality of what we’re doing in terms of reporting and the whole production,” said Lisa.

“If we want to know what stock sales reps have sold during the month, with Fishbowl we can see it all easily. If we want to see what’s been sold by state, customer, or by skew we’ve got all of that readily available.”

AI now an opportunity for brewing industry in tough times

Green Beacon’s ability to grow, innovate, and ultimately secure its future is a shining example of resilience against the backdrop of mounting pressures on craft brewers in recent years.

With this year’s launch of Fishbowl AI Insights, APAC Managing Director, Simon Jupe, acknowledges that this presents yet another opportunity to navigate these turbulent waters.

“With the right tools, even the most ambitious goals can be achieved,” said Simon. “The arrival of AI technology offers fresh hope to overcome tough industry times by making business even more efficient.”

Simon continues by explaining how the introduction of AI Insights increases the ability to analyse vast amounts of data at lightning speeds. This allows Fishbowl to manage and perform the various inventory tasks faster and with more precision than humans or an IMS alone can achieve. This leads to fewer errors and improved inventory management.

“While we’re all used to technologies evolving, AI is more of a leap forward,” continued Simon. “For Australian businesses managing inventory, it’s a huge and immediate opportunity. It’s about getting faster insights which are much more tailored to each business’s own challenges.”

“With our clients we’re already seeing significant financial and operational gains, not to mention improvements in business culture when everything runs more smoothly.”

As Green Beacon Brewing Company embarks on an exciting new chapter, its story serves as an inspiration for other craft breweries navigating market challenges.

Want to learn more about how AI is shaping the food and drink industry? Click here to download our free e-Book: “Food Manufacturing 2025: AI Technology Drives Inventory Innovation”