Business Update - Dec 2023

After a dedicated month of effort, we're thrilled to announce that the first GEN 3 devices have reached our customers, and the second round of GEN 3 assembly is well underway. The GEN 3 is finally here! The year 2023 has been incredible, with more brewing activity than ever, and our community continues to grow. 

2023 in review

2023 was an incredible year as new styles have been developed and connections are made. Our mission remains laser focused on connecting the world through technology and design to bring the beer brewing process into peoples lives in a more accessible, affordable, efficient way without leaving any environmental waste. 

In a December 2022 blog post, we shared that users had created 10,000 recipes and brewed more than 277,000 glasses of beer. Fast forward to today, and we're excited to report that the community has now crafted over 13,356 recipes resulting in the brewing of more than 550,000 glasses of beer—doubling the amount! 

We noticed the community has flourished to include 1.5K members on Facebook/Discord and we've shipped a total of 3,450 devices under 2K users. Currently, the average number of kegs per user is 2-3.

With the GEN 3 now being made and delivered, we anticipate our user community growing to 3K users and to a total of 5,000 devices shipped—a monumental achievement. We're proud to reach with you and an active beer brewing community! But this is just the beginning; our plan is to double our user base and shipped devices by 2024/2025.

The most brewed beers and who brewed the most we will share in the next update. We can share that some of you brewed way over 100+ brews in the last 3 years

GEN 3 Assembly Update

In November, we achieved a significant milestone as the factory and the MiniBrew team declared the initial production a resounding success.

Building on the momentum outlined in our September and November 2023 updates, we are thrilled to announce production re-started on December 18, 2023. We have meticulously crafted an additional 50 devices, showcasing the continued progress of the GEN 3 assembly line. Here is quick update of our sub and main assembly process.

Sub Assembly of GEN 3 devices

Main assembly of GEN 3 devices

The last round of tweaks and improvements has received final approval, paving the way for the commencement of mass production. 

The anticipated timeline for the final batch is set to begin on January 15, 2024, with an additional batch scheduled to start from February 22, 2024, considering the Chinese New Year in between.

The factory's goal is to finish at least two containers of products before the end of January 2024. We're entering an exciting phase, and we can't wait to bring the GEN 3 to life in larger quantities.

GEN 3 Planning Update

In line with our commitment to timely deliveries, we have made the decision to split the shipment: part by air and the remainder by sea. Opting for air shipment comes with challenges, given that the cost is ten times higher than what most of you paid. However, recognizing that some can no longer wait and have requested priority, we shipped 12 devices via air, and they arrived at Amsterdam Schiphol on December 10, 2023. After customs clearance, these devices were promptly dispatched to customers across Europe, marking the fulfilment of our first pre-orders in 2023. 

The remaining units produced in November are en route by sea (Vessel ONE INSPIRATION  VOY:V.001W). We anticipated arrival end of December, however due recent developments of freight vessels under attack in the Red Sea, there are delays in delivery. We anticipate their arrival on January 28, 2024 when the vessel takes the South Africa route.

Container shipment tracking

Upon reaching the Rotterdam port, the goods will undergo clearance before being transported to our warehouse in Zoetermeer. Subsequently, the units will be bundled with brewpacks and a starter pack before being dispatched. This process may take up to a week.

As part of the next assembly round, we're offering a limited number of devices for air shipment again. To avail of this service, please inform our support team (hello@minibrew.io) by adding 'PRIORITY' in the subject line. We expect the plane to arrive in mid-January 2024, facilitating shipment before the month's end. The remaining units will be sent by sea and are projected to arrive in February 2024.

Once mass production commences, we will exclusively offer shipment by sea, with an average transit time of 4-5 weeks. We are planning to ship two containers before the end of January 2024 with an expected delivery date in February 2024. These two containers will likely contain all pre-orders made between October 2021 and October 2023. Here is quick overview of delivery plans. 

Delivery schedule by air and sea

Orders made in November 2023 up to now have delivery date in February or March 2024. 

Signed deal with The Malt Miller and introducing: Double Gangers made by Belgomalt

While our primary focus has been on production, we're thrilled to announce that we have signed a deal with The Malt Miller. In the new year, they will be producing brew packs for MiniBrew. 

Additionally, we're excited to launch a new winter beer called Doppelgangers - a Belgian double in collaboration with Belgomalt, one of the biggest malt suppliers in the world. One of the Belgomalt team members owns a MiniBrew and has actively developed a few recipes with infused malt, where the malt contains cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and a subtle hint of pepper.

Belgomalt Team and Rolf (MiniBrew Brew master)

Other new things to share

• In December 2023, Brau & Rauch placed an order of GEN 3 's as they noticed demand is picking up in Swiss. They are accepting pre-orders on their webshop and planning events in 2024.
• Additionally, we've installed a support button in pro-membership environment so (live) support is one-click away ;) 

Next update

In the next update, (planned for end January) we will share more information about the progress of GEN 3, and software plans as an upgrade is being planned.

Thanks again for your patience. Please share any feedback/thoughts in the comments. Thank you as always, and happy MiniBrewing and Happy New Year. We hope 2024 will bring us lots of new recipes, beers to be tapped as well new connections to be made in the community to learn from each other and how to become a better beer brewer.

Cheers!

MiniBrew Team