Producer profile: Wilson Brewing Company director and brew master, Matt Wilson
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How did Wilson Brewing Company begin?
Our business has been operating for about 15 months now. Our first six months were spent doing packaged kegs for wholesale purposes. At the start of February this year, we opened our bar and brewery door to the public so people could come in and sample our produce.
We’ve been lucky that recent changes to legislation have allowed us to sell our beer by the glass. From conception to now has been about five years.
We identified a niche market in Albany. We were lacking a local beer in the area and saw a gap in the market that we could fill. Using the freshest local and Australian ingredients, we wanted to hand craft an alternative to mass-produced commercial beer.
I’m a boilermaker by trade but didn’t want to head down that line of work for the rest of my life. I was home brewing at that stage - I’m a self-taught brewer. I worked fly-in, fly-out for three years and during that time, developed a business plan for Wilson Brewing Company with my wife Jessica.
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Tell us about the Wilson Brewing Company brand and products?
We came up with a business brand linked to the Albany area. We have a boat in our logo, the ‘Pelen Wilson’, and thought a maritime-themed business would go down well with the Albany locals. We have five beers in our core range from mid-strength through to pale ales, blonde ales and brown ales.
We also run a monthly seasonal beer using a key local ingredient sourced directly from Albany. For example, we lined up pearl oysters through Great Southern Shellfish to produce an ‘Oyster Stout’ for the middle of winter. We’re also working with local wineries to blend wines with beer.
Bringing beer styles to Albany that people might not have been exposed to before or can’t get fresh, has been a big driver for us. We’re very grain reliant and hop intensive – we use only the freshest local and Australian ingredients.
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How important is the local community to the success of your business?
According to a recent Australia-wide Independent Brewers’ Association Survey, about 65% of independent brewing businesses are located in regional and rural areas. Many of these small to medium independent businesses are putting money back into their local communities.
People often leave regional communities to work on mines and oil rigs for example, but the brewing industry is drawing people back to work locally.
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What is your business growth strategy?
We’re in a booming industry for craft or boutique beer, and we can see that especially in the South West region. Secondary industry is starting to develop as a result of the boom. When we first started Wilson Brewing Company it was just me and my wife. We now have four full-time employees and one part-time employee.
We are hoping to undergo expansion in the coming months and quadruple our product – there is currently a large demand for it. Our plan is to work on expanding the business towards domestic and export growth, employing more locals and making good beer!