We're halfway through Q2 already, and wow have things changed. Everywhere is opened back up, COVID-19 vaccines are available for everyone, and 2021 is going to have come and gone before we know it.
I like to blog about our plans to keep you informed and also to hold me accountable for making things happen as we move through our goals, adjust, and keep moving the shop toward the vision we have set out for it.
Maintaining flexibility and a positive attitude are keys to success in life and in business. Thankfully we've learned to be flexible because things can change so quickly. I outlined our 12 month goal in this post, published on December 31, 2020. Yeah, about that...
The largest part of the plan we laid out revolved around moving into a larger space - one with room to expand inventory and add equipment for storage and processing, have a classroom and meeting space, expand into home coffee roasting equipment and green coffee beans, add vegetable and other fermentation supplies, as well as a space to produce regular video content. That was supposed to happen in March, but for reasons, it didn't happen. Thankfully we were able to arrange an extension at our current location so we still had a place to operate but we had to shelve many of our plans. We're still looking for new spaces but we're staying put for now, and focusing on moving forward with the plans we can accomplish here in this space. That means we had to cram the lobby area with inventory, so we won't be able to open up for walk-in business until after we move to a bigger building.
Enough of what we couldn't do, let's talk about what we are doing.
We've added some big & bad new equipment that will allow us to simplify and expand our brew kit options, as well as start offering extract-based options. We needed a way to pack hops in custom sizes for the kits, so we bought an industrial-quality vacuum sealer and paired them with some of the best barrier bags on the market. We've expanded our cold storage, so we will be able to keep a steady supply of hops you need in peak shape. We've completely overhauled the warehouse and implemented a new inventory system (yes, it's almost completely accurate now), and are finalizing the move to a new shipping software solution that will allow us to ship inside and outside of Florida at the lowest possible cost. We should have all of these completed by May 31.
We expect to be able to host open house brew days again soon. It'll be like it was: a little crowded and in an unconditioned warehouse, but that's never stopped us from having fun and sharing a brew day. Look for those to start up again in the next few months. We're exploring some options for off-site classes, but there is no timeline on that currently. Ideally, we will find a great space sometime in the next few months and get moved in by fall, set up and ready for a great holiday season.
In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to better serve you. While we're in our current space we're still limited in what we can do. Please excuse the mess and our limitations while we continue to press forward to build a better shopping experience.
Need a TL;DR? I've got you covered.
Thank you all for your support and patience. We are really excited to bring you all of these changes and we promise to continue to innovate and strive to improve our service and selection. Cheers!
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