Business practices in the craft beer industry. An international comparative study.

Traditionally dominated by a handful of large multinational corporations, the beer industry in Western economies has been recently characterized by the fast and pervasive spread of craft beer. Departing from the acknowledgment of this growing phenomenon, this paper presents and discusses a multiple-case study featuring eight microbreweries located in the U.S. and Italy. By analyzing four distinct factors, namely entrepreneurial motivations, demand dynamics, technology, and laws and regulation, this study explores the mechanisms underpinning the establishment of new ventures in the craft beer industry. Findings suggest that a systemic approach is essential in the understanding of such a multi-disciplinary phenomenon, whose dynamics span the mere business boundaries and involve social, cultural, and institutional aspects of today’s economy.