Jobs at Fair State Brewing Cooperative: Brand Coordinator

Fair State Brewing Cooperative is seeking a full-time Brand Coordinator to join our Brand Experience Team in St. Paul, MN. We have grown significantly in the last year, and we are looking for an experienced team member to help drive the next phase of our growth.

Fair State is one of a limited number of cooperatively-owned breweries in the US. We began operations at our Northeast Minneapolis brewery/taproom in August 2014 and added a large production brewery in St. Paul, MN in 2017. We focus on traditional lager beer, sour beer (ranging from kettle sours to 100% barrel-fermented mixed culture beers), and hoppy beers. By the end of 2018, our products will be available in Minnesota and adjacent states, as well as a handful of markets on the Eastern Seaboard and the West Coast. As a member-owned cooperative, we take our seriously our ability to positively impact the communities in which we do business through our events programming, our approach to doing business, and Fair State Cooperates, our philanthropic and volunteer program.

We continue to operate the taproom and original brewery in Minneapolis, but we now perform most of our brewing and packaging for distribution in Saint Paul, which is also where our marketing and administrative staff are located. Our staff is mostly based in the greater Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area and to date has largely focused on executing in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

We are looking for an experienced, hardworking communicator to build our brand by producing events, events and marketing efforts and contribute to our vision. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience planning events from start to finish, and managing relationships with stakeholders.

 

Responsibilities

Events Production

  • Build and adhere to an event budget
  • Coordinate with vendors, staff, volunteers, and stakeholders
  • Create and distribute event listings for social media, external event calendars, and ticketing website
  • Recruit and train staff for events, as needed
  • Manage event set up, tear down, and staffing
  • Plan event logistics; create floorplans, apply for applicable city permits
  • Develop clear and rigorous work plans with accountability, timelines, and metrics
  • Manage physical inventory of equipment, supplies, and product
  • Track key event performance areas and identify successes and areas for improvement 

Storytelling

  • Conduct interviews with brewers, customers, employees, and business partners
  • Conduct independent research on styles, trends, history, and technique in craft beer
  • Use storyboarding, brainstorming, and facilitation techniques to uncover and clarify the stories behind what we do
  • Write clear, accurate, error-free copy in the voice of the brand for a variety of formats and channels
  • Create clear and effective graphics where appropriate (e.g., charts, process flows, tables) to inform and equip employees and business partners
  • Create polished and error-free final deliverables, including blog posts, newsletters, emails, social media posts, web pages, posters, presentation decks, letters, and signs.

Digital Marketing

  • Develop and execute email marketing campaigns. Evaluate and adapt campaigns based on email deliverability, open rates, and CTRs.
  • Gather data to benchmark marketing performance, test new approaches, and capture impacts.

 

Desired Skills and Experience

  • 2+ years of experience planning large-scale events
  • Experience with WordPress, Squarespace, and Mailchimp
  • Strong skills in Adobe Creative Suite – especially Photoshop/Illustrator
  • Strong Microsoft Office skills, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
  • Audio, and/or video production and editing
  • Knowledge of, and passion for, craft beer, cooperatives, and philanthropy
  • Strong analytical and quantitative skills — you use data and metrics to back up assumptions, test hypotheses, and evaluate results
  • Strong attention to detail, curiosity about what works and what could be, and willingness to continually learn
  • Ability to manage complex projects and to communicate with stakeholders
  • Commitment to following company policies and procedures
  • Excellent judgment, outstanding professionalism, and exemplary communication and teamwork skills

 

Requirements

  • At least 21 years of age as of the time of application
  • Able to sit and stand for prolonged periods
  • Able to read, follow, and give oral and written English instructions
  • Able to communicate succinctly, clearly, and persuasively in written and spoken English
  • Able to occasionally lift/carry heavy objects (55 lbs.) safely above waist-level
  • Able to work in a factory environment which may be loud, hot, humid, cold, or slick
  • Able to work in a fast-paced environment with high-pressure deadlines and time constraints
  • Able to engage with diverse audiences to effectively develop partnerships and represent our brand
  • Able to deal constructively with conflict and disagreement
  • Valid driver’s license and ability to pass insurance driving record review

 

This is a full-time hourly position. As a full-time employee, this role will also be eligible for the following benefits:

  • Paid holidays (New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day)
  • Paid Time Off, which can be used for any purpose and is accrued at a rate of 0.0769 hours of PTO per hour worked (4 weeks per year)
  • Health insurance for employee, spouse, and dependents, with a portion of employee and dependent premiums paid by Fair State
  • Dental and vision insurance, with 50% of employee and dependent premiums paid by Fair State
  • Short- and Long-Term Disability, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, and life insurance coverage, with 100% of premiums paid by Fair State
  • Simple IRA with employer matching up to 3% (eligible in 2020)
  • Flexible savings account for medical and dependent care
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Employee beer stipend
  • Discounted membership in our cooperative after 6 months of employment
  • Merchandise and beer discounts
  • Credit for clothing merchandise at hire

 

This is an hourly, non-exempt position. Base compensation will be $20 per hour.

 

Application Process

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to brandcoordinator@fairstate.coop with the subject line, “Brand Coordinator Application”. Applications will be accepted and interviews conducted on a rolling basis. We are looking for someone who would be able to start as soon as possible.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Fair State Brewing Cooperative strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

Fair State Team Growth

 

Happy summertime from Fair State. We have been enjoying lots of tropical pale ales and super crisp lagers next to the grill, and we’ve also been making some additions and changes to our team that we’re really excited about. We thought you might be, too:

TAPROOM
Some of you came by to celebrate Charlie’s last shift behind the bar. As our Taproom Manager and sometimes promotional model, Charlie has been an outstanding ambassador for the beers and community that are the hallmarks of Fair State. He’s switching to a back-of-house role in order to have more time to lead the charge in taking good care of our physical space and curating a fun and inclusive mix of programming. Charlie is now leading a new group of Beertenders, instilling the spirit of Charlieness throughout the taproom. We are excited to see this team, which now includes Sean Lipinski, Alicia Bird, John Wynn, and Patric Driessen, grow under his leadership.

SALES & MARKETING
We’ve been excited to spend more time introducing customers in greater Minnesota to Fair State. We’re currently hiring for our Street Team in Bemidji, Brainerd, Duluth, Mankato, St. Cloud, and Rochester for the first time, in addition to the Twin Cities region. We have also hired a new full-time Sales Representative, Anthony Pukay, to help us be an even bigger part of the outstanding craft beer culture in Twin Cities bars, restaurants, event spaces, and liquor stores.

PRODUCTION
As our production volume has grown and we’ve introduced new products, the complexity of our brewing operations has greatly increased. As such, we have identified the need to create more nuanced production roles.


To this end, we just posted a Lead Brewer job. Niko will continue to be our Head Brewer and will rely on the Lead Brewer to manage the day-to-day operations of our brewing and cellaring team. This will give Niko the time to focus more on driving innovation at Fair State. He will commit more of his time to new product development (including fun limited-releases in cans and lots more special, taproom-only beer), guiding our brewing philosophy and direction, and managing special projects.

 

We’ve hired a number of Packaging Technicians over Winter and Spring and now have a great team of skillful, energetic people to get our beer ready for sale. Specifically, we’d like to call out Jake Graham, Chad Hoffer, Anders Bloomquist, and David Anderson for doing a great job putting our favorite beer into our favorite cans. We’re going to lean on them, even more, when long-time employee Jim Pankratz, currently our Warehouse and Packaging Manager, moves to Iowa. We’ll initially hire another Warehouse and Packaging Manager and then split that role out so that we can do more special canning projects and implement some more sophisticated materials handling practices.

IPA Cans

As we adapt and grow, there will surely be more additions and changes, and we’ll look forward to sharing them. In all of this, our goal is to deliver enjoyable beer of outstanding quality and to honor the festive and inclusive community that has supported us for the last three and a half years. We’re so grateful for your work, patronage, and membership.

 

Jobs @ Fair State: Street Team Member

Fair State Brewing Cooperative is seeking several individuals to join our Street Team, which introduces our beer to new consumers at liquor store tastings and festivals. We are growing quickly and are excited to add staff to help meet the demand for our beer.

A little about us: Fair State is one of very few cooperatively-owned breweries in the US. We began operations at our brewery/taproom in August of 2014. We were fortunate enough to be named one of RateBeer’s 10 best new brewers in the world for 2015 and recently expanded into a 40,000 sq. ft. production brewery in St. Paul, MN. We focus on traditional German-style beers (especially lager beer), sour beer (ranging from kettle sours to 100% barrel-fermented mixed culture beers), and hoppy beers. Our new production facility has enabled us to supply an expanded assortment of products to a larger number of off-premise accounts.

A little about you: we’re looking for friendly, knowledgeable, and responsible individuals to help us share our beer with new consumers. The ideal candidate would have some experience in the service roles, enjoy talking with and educating others, and be able to work independently.

Responsibilities

The Street Team pours samples of our beer at liquor store tastings and festivals. Liquor store tastings are typically from either 4 pm – 7 pm or 4 pm – 6 pm on weeknights, often on Thursdays and Fridays, and occasionally on Saturdays. Festivals are typically on weekend afternoons. Street Team members will be notified of upcoming events and asked to respond with their availability on a rolling basis.

For each event, Street Team members will be responsible for:

  • Picking up and returning supplies to our taproom or production brewery (e.g., tablecloths, tasting notes, ice tubs, beer)
  • Setting up and breaking down a display table
  • Pouring samples, engaging consumers in conversation, and educating them about our beers and our cooperative business model

Requirements / Qualifications

  • General knowledge of beer styles
  • Experience in customer service, sales, or teaching roles is a plus
  • Willingness to work weekday afternoons and evenings, as well as weekend afternoons
  • Ability to safely lift and move 30 lbs.
  • Ability to follow training on safe and legal service of alcohol

Compensation and Benefits

This is a part-time hourly position with irregular hours. For each event, Street Team members will be paid for the full scheduled length of the event plus 30 minutes for setup and breakdown. Any time worked in excess of that amount will be paid at $10 / hr. Street Team members will also receive a beer allotment, typically (2) 4-packs, for each event worked.

Application Instructions

To apply, please send a short email to jobs@fairstate.coop answering three questions:

  1. What do you like about beer?
  2. What have you done before (your experience) that would make you a great Street Team member?
  3. What would you enjoy about working on the Street Team?

No phone calls, please.

Fair State Brewing Cooperative is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to excellence through diversity. Employment offers are made on the basis of qualifications and without regard to race, sex, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, age, veteran status, or sexual orientation.