Most breweries will, hopefully, experience a growth curve during their business lives.
But when you’re on that particular journey, it’s key to recognise that there’s more to it than just increasing capacity and your ability to produce more volume.
And as someone heading up a brew team, Aaron McClure knows that all too well.
McClure is the head brewer at Sharp’s, based in Rock, Cornwall. After studying biology at the University of Exeter, Aaron would join Sharp’s in 2011, rising up the ranks from brewing team member to technical brewer before being promoted to the role of head brewer in 2019.
Managing a team of 32 brewers, McClure is responsible for the production of a raft of beers including Atlantic, Offshore Pilsner and Doom Bar, which they brew in excess of one million pints of each week.
He explains: “During my own journey at Sharp’s, I’ve seen the brewery and the team grow. On the outside, it’s sometimes easy to just look at a larger number of tanks or your ability to make more beer.
“But there’s much more to it. Whether that means HR policies and practices, quality controls and health and safety measures, you also need to make sure each and every part of your team feels valued and involved.”
During his time working for Molson Coors, the parent company that owns Sharp’s, McClure took the opportunity to broaden his own people management skills by working an operations brewer position at Molson Coors’ Burtonwood brewery
“I really wanted to get a greater experience at different breweries, within different operations. While the process is largely the same, there are so many subtleties and nuances to each brewery that make it unique.”
In making the move, McClure says he improved his people skills by working with a whole new team, forming new relationships all over again.
“My job was ultimately to get the most out of them,” he says. “My mantra has always been that so long as your workforce is engaged, enjoy what they do and believe in what you’re telling them, then they’ll work very hard. I always say to any of my team that if you work hard for me, I’ll work incredibly hard for you. It’s a two-way street.”
