Establishing a Micropub: The Ultimate Guide

The idea of owning a pub is an appealing one to many; however, there’s a lot more to think about than simply getting some beer and selling it. In fact, your beer bottle packaging is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to establishing a micropub. While the current cost-of-living crisis has many people thinking that now isn’t the right time to start a business, a micropub might be one of the best companies to kickstart. This is because they have lower running costs than traditional pubs and operate out of smaller premises with lower rents.

Detailed below is a comprehensive guide to establishing a micropub.

What is a micropub?

Firstly, you need to know what a micropub is before you can delve any deeper. In short, the notion of a micropub is fairly self-explanatory: it’s a miniature licensed establishment, typically comprising one small room with a bar. In addition to these logistics, though, micropubs tend to go for a more unique, localized approach by serving drinks from microbreweries in the surrounding area. Similarly, micropubs differ from gastropubs in the sense that the focus is on drinks rather than food. Micropubs are minimalistic and without the likes of fruit machines and TVs.

Key Considerations

There are many things one must consider before they jump into the establishment of a micropub. Firstly, you need to ask yourself if you love beer. While this may not seem like the be-all and end-all, as traditional pubs serve a lot more than just beer, this isn’t always the case for micropubs. As previously mentioned, micropubs tend to specialize in products from local microbreweries, meaning the emphasis is on beers. Therefore, it’s important that you know and love beers if you want to open a microbrewery.

In addition to this, you’ll need to ask yourself whether you’re a people person, able to work unsociable hours and have any experience in the industry.

Start-up Costs

If these key considerations lead you to progress further in the setting up of a micropub, you’ll need to consider the many start-up costs. These include insurance costs, licensing costs, equipment costs, business rates, and venue costs. While these are sure to be lower than that of a traditional pub, the establishment of a micropub will still require a substantial investment. Therefore, before you proceed, it’s essential that you have an idea of what lies ahead in mind.

For instance, you’ll need to protect your business against various liabilities via insurance, as well as licensing. This isn’t to mention your product range, company charges, and rent costs.

Creating a Business Plan

A business plan is an important feature of establishing your own micropub. It’s essential to have a business plan in place, so you’re not left to run around like a headless chicken. There are various components to establishing a business; as a result, you should have a thorough business plan to ensure nothing gets missed off the list. As part of this plan, you should register your business, which is a legal requirement for setting up a company. You also need to make sure you do your research about the licensing required for a micropub, as you’ll be serving alcohol.

Finding a Venue Last but not least, you need to find your venue. Not only does the venue have to meet a series of requirements to make it a suitable environment for a micropub, but it needs to be in a location of demand. For instance, compatibility with surrounding businesses is important to the success of your micropub. If you’re creative enough, almost any space can be converted into a micropub.