COVID-19: Two Birds opens beer drive-thru
Ever since it was founded in 2011, Two Birds Brewing has continued to innovate and challenge the status quo.
As Australia’s first female-owned brewery, the much-loved brand is renowned for daring and delicious craft beers with beautifully illustrated labelling.
With a dedicated following in Australia and overseas, Two Birds’ Melbourne home now boasts a large brewery, taproom and restaurant. It’s a place where locals and visitors alike come together to enjoy great food and great brews.
Early bird catches the beer lovers
Unfortunately, like many businesses, Two Birds has been forced to temporarily close its restaurant and taproom due to government restrictions on social gatherings. But founders, Danielle Allen and Jayne Lewis, quickly came up with a solution to service her thirsty clientele.
“We managed to set up a Drive-Thru bottle shop by the first weekend after the enforced closure,” she said.
That’s not all. Aware that customers would also crave the Two Birds food menu, Allen and Lewis turned to restaurant delivery options.
“Our food offering is now available on UberEats,” she said. “So, you can still enjoy that great brewery food and beer experience at home on your couch!”
Before the restrictions came into effect, keg production was a major focus of the business. But as bars, pubs and restaurants closed across the region, demand dried up, leading Two Birds to switch strategy.
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“We’ve had to redirect all of the beer that we would normally package and sell in kegs into a bottle and can format,” Allen said. “This means that we've had to think about new ways to label beers very quickly!"
Please click responsibly
COVID-19 has driven a global shift to online ordering and delivery. Fortunately for Two Birds, it’s a world the business knows well.
“We have always had a presence in the e-commerce space through our own webshop and other platforms such as Dan Murphy's Marketplace, Boozebud, Beer Cartel etc.,” Allen said.
This revenue stream is proving vital. Allen added, “our e-commerce customers have been our biggest customers over the last few weeks.”
Always eager to adapt and innovate, Allen has also changed the Two Birds offering to align with customer demand.
“We've seen a shift in the purchasing behaviour of customers quite quickly,” she said. “They are looking for mixed and variety packs. We’ve added two new mixed packs to suit changing moods and tastes as we all ride the rollercoaster of this crisis.”
Free as a bird
In addition to the Drive-Thru and new e-commerce options, Two Birds is also offering free delivery across Australia.
By Jason Toshack, GM ANZ, Oracle NetSuite
