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The craft beer expert from France
Click here to watch the video interview:
Sylvia Kopp talking to Garlonn Kergourlay, brewery consultant
"I like places and people," says Garlonn Kergourlay. The Frenchwoman has lived in many places and is connected to many people. She also says, "Beer brings everything together. Or, more accurately, "She brings everything together. Places, people, beer knowledge. They don't call her "The Beer Match Maker" for nothing. Garlonn Kergourlay works as an independent consultant and runs the consulting agency "Il était une brasserie" together with Christian Vanhaverbeke from Belgium.
Her consulting company "il était une brasserie" advises micro-breweriesSeminars for micro-breweries
In its five years of existence, the agency has hosted 30 microbrewery networking seminars in France, Belgium, and once in Switzerland (lockdown time included!). "I love bringing people together," she says. She does it almost effortlessly. Networking is in her nature. The seminars have always been held at breweries in special locations, such as a castle or former factory building, whose special history was also part of the seminar program.In addition, "Il était une brasserie" has assisted more than 100 breweries in their creation, development and expansion. While her business partner mainly covers the technical side of brewing, Kergourlay contributes her knowledge of business management and marketing.
Networking at beer festivals and trade fairs
But she can also brew! With her former partner, she ran a brewery near Toulouse for four years before leaving the relationship to strike out on her own. Although the love affair ended, "I had discovered a new world for myself," says Kergourlay. The friendships and contacts she made at beer festivals and trade shows were key to her new independent life. She became co-founder and general delegate of the French "Syndicat National Des Brasseries Indépendents" (SNBI). When she met Christian Vanhaverbeke, who was looking for a business partner, at a trade show, Garlonn knew what she wanted.Brewery landscape in France
Today, she says, there are about 3,000 breweries in France, spread all over the country. About three-quarters of them produce less than 300 hectoliters a year. Most of them are one-man businesses whose owners - mostly career changers - cannot survive on brewing alone. Most of them have a second job. Many of these new entrepreneurs also view brewing as a passion rather than a business. Making money is not the focus for them. "We are now seeing how this will end," Kergourlay said, "while many microbreweries were able to stay afloat during the closure period thanks to government subsidies, now the closures are coming." She estimates that about ten percent of microbreweries are affected. Those that have a secure distribution channel, such as their own bar, have a good chance of survival. "Il était une brasserie" is aimed at those who want to grow, says Kergourlay. "But we've also been getting more calls lately from people who want to start up," says Kergourlay. The scene is on the move!Business analysis and advice on setting up a brewery
In business analysis and consulting, Kergourlay relies not only on facts and figures. She also identifies and gently uncovers interpersonal blockages and self-sabotage mechanisms. She has developed a feel for this through her own experience. Her training as an alternative practitioner also plays a role. "It is not only expertise, but also a way of thinking," says Kergourlay, "not just looking at the surface, but finding the root cause. Quite an unexpected side to the beer expert!Close connections to Germany
Garlonn Kergourlay considers herself a European. Her family roots are in Brittany, she grew up in Paris, and at the age of 15 she left home to live in Hamburg as an au pair and complete her baccalaureate at the Lycée Français. She loves returning to the Hanseatic city: "Hamburg is my second home. There's something about the city that just won't let you go," she says. "Franco-allemands" was also the focus of her master's degree in marketing and business administration, which she completed at the Sorbonne in Paris. She even spent two semesters abroad in Osnabrück, Germany. Needless to say, she also holds a diploma as a beer sommelier from the German Beer Academy. When she recently moved from Montpellier to Colmar - "I fell in love with the city!" - it's also because of its ideal location: close to Germany and not far from Liège, Belgium, where her business partner lives.In the future, with "Il était une brasserie", they want to focus more on ongoing support for breweries. Similar to oenologists working with winemakers, they want to help breweries coordinate business management, technology and marketing. Personally, Kergourlay has become a bit more self-aware. "At Lockdown, I learned to take better care of myself and make more time for myself." This new balance ultimately benefits her clients as well. Kergourlay is grateful: "It's nice that people like me and that everything I love, beautiful places, dear friends and of course beer, has become a profession.”
Also published in the series wommen4beverages:
women4beverages: Julia and Marie Wasem from the Wasem Doppelstück start-up winery
Sylvia Kopp talking to Jasmin Haider-Stadler, Waldviertler Whisky J. H.
