Colorado State University’s newly formed Beverage Business Institute has announced dates for its inaugural workshop.The Institute will hold classes on finance and an overview of the beer industry November 16 to 18th. That’s in addition to a speech from one of the Institute’s financial sponsors: Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent.
Jim Francis, director of the Institute, says Colorado is home to about 150 microbreweries right now, and the industry will continue to grow.
“They’re kind of pushing out—in some categories—the big brewers,” he says. “So these people get into it because of a major interest in brewing. But we’re finding a lot of them get into it without the necessary business background.”
Francis says CSU is filling a unique educational niche by offering the business and management skills required to operate a beverage company. After the November workshop, the university plans to offer workshop classes on a quarterly basis.
