Loving the Craft: Exploratory Thematic Reflections of Craft Breweries as Complex Ventures

Complex start-up ventures that require substantial financial resources, artisanal skills and business knowledge provide a distinct perspective that reveals patterns pivotal to their establishment and launch. Through a thematic analysis of craft brewery owners, this study uncovers three prominent themes that are crucial considerations for launching such ventures: (a) balancing artisanship with operating a production brewery, (b) becoming freedom agents and (c) the inverse domino effect. The production versus artisan struggle highlights the pursuit of efficient production while nurturing the craft embraced by the artisan. Freedom agents address the entrepreneur’s need to belong to something greater while freeing consumers from the limited choices ‘big companies impose’. The inverse domino effect signifies the acquired knowledge of pursuing an aggressive strategy during the introduction stages, which will eventually taper off in the maturity stage. These findings illustrate the journey entrepreneurs experience as they progress from novice start-ups to established ventures.