(Please note: This is a fictional story, but inspired by the real-world journeys, successes and pain points of our MasterDistiller clients and peers. Any characters, events, or specific figures are illustrative only.)
From Dream to Dram: Laying Biebod Distillery’s Digital Roots
Anya, Biebod Distillery’s visionary CEO, has always believed in starting strong. Even in the earliest days as the first batches of barley were fermenting in their small production space she was considering how true growth wasn’t just about crafting exceptional spirit; it was about building an exceptional, scalable foundation and brand engagement. Ben, their Head Distiller, was already meticulously overseeing the first spirit runs, ensuring every drop met their high standards and all the kit was functioning and commissioned properly (!). Anya saw beyond the immediate production. She saw a future where Biebod Distillery’s brand would have to be recognised globally.
In those crucial first days, efficiency was paramount. Every percentage point saved in production costs, every minute trimmed from a manual process, could compound into significant savings over the years. We quickly realized that relying on spreadsheets, while seemingly cost-effective initially, would not support our global ambitions and would drive hidden admin time and cost. Spreadsheets were disconnected, prone to errors, and could not provide the real-time insights needed for data-driven decisions. They couldn’t hold the longevity of data and layers required to truly understand and drive the process of making premium whisky.
The market offered a confusing array of options. Excel was cheap but unscalable. Large, generic ERPs were often too expensive to set up and support as well as inflexible (or costly to flex) for a growing startup. Narrow, specific solutions for single areas of the process created new silos, making it impossible to manage stock values or integrate sales with inventory and finance. The thought of managing separate systems for each function was a headache waiting to happen.
Anya, with Ben, Chloe and David’s input, sought a solution that was purpose-built for distilleries, yet offered the flexibility and scalability of a broader business platform. That research led to MasterDistiller, built on the open-source, flexible, modern, extendable and affordable Odoo platform. It offered an end-to-end solution that was both industry-specific and comprehensive.
Implementing MasterDistiller x Odoo meant our production started digitally, accessible and manageable from anywhere. This immediate shift to digital logbooks and real-time metric capture with over 120+ metrics supported allowed Ben to identify and address inefficiencies on the fly. We saw an immediate 5% efficiency saving in our initial distillation process – higher yields and closely monitored energy – translating in to significant savings annually as production scaled. This early focus on data-driven production metrics meant we were not just making quality spirit; we were making smarter, quality spirit.
A seamless onboarding process was crucial. With industry expertise from the MasterDistiller team, the translation of terminology between distillers and the system was smooth. Practical, business process specific videos helped our team learn and develop quickly with their own data available to watch back whenever they needed. The friendly user interface and a vast knowledge base of information available at any time ensured a rapid adoption as well as the ability to train and onboard new members of the growing team quickly and effectively. Chloe was able to add overhead costs to production to ensure we have comprehensive costing information to manage asset utilisation rates, all at the click of a button.
Simultaneously, Odoo’s integrated CRM meant that sales started from day one. David, our future Sales & Marketing Manager, would have a system ready to build relationships, track leads, and ensure consistent, efficient presentations, laying the groundwork for global expansion.
Early Wins that Compound. The early win of digital production tracking now compounded into superior data consistency. This foundational step meant that every subsequent process, from maturation to sales, would benefit from accurate, real-time information. The initial investment in a connected system paid dividends by preventing future data silos and enabling proactive decision-making from the outset.
With our foundational system in place, our precious new make spirit was flowing, and its journey was meticulously tracked. But how would we nurture it, track its journey through the years, and truly understand the value held within every single cask? That’s what we’ll explore in our next chapter…
Ready to explore how MasterDistiller x Odoo can help your distillery navigate the future?