As breweries grow, the systems that once held everything together can quickly become the thing that slows them down. Separate platforms for sales, stock, reporting and finance often work well enough in the early years, but over time they introduce additional costs, duplication and risk.

For Siren Craft Brew, that tipping point came when day-to-day operations were being managed across multiple tools, none of which were properly connected. With online sales increasing and a move to Shopify on the horizon, the brewery needed a clearer, more reliable view of how beer was moving through the business.

Finding a single platform that could bring those strands together became a priority. That search ultimately led Siren to Breww, consolidating sales, stock, production and reporting into one system.

Moving away from fragmented systems

Before making the change, Siren was running three separate systems to manage different parts of the business.

“We actually had three different systems,” says Darron Anley, Founder of Siren Craft Brew. “We had a CRM separate to Merlin at the time, and we had reporting software sitting on top. All three were really expensive.”

The lack of integration between systems was already creating friction, but it became more pressing as Siren prepared to move its webshop onto Shopify. Ensuring the e-commerce platform accurately reflected stock availability was critical.

One of the most significant risks Siren faced was the disconnect between online sales and the rest of the operation.

“The webshop was disassociated from the rest of the business,” says Anley. “If we weren’t on top of how products were selling, we could hit a situation where, if somebody sold enough cases over a weekend, we could be out of stock – and we don’t want that.”

By linking Shopify directly into the same system used to manage stock and production, sales activity is now visible across the business. Inventory, production planning and order fulfilment move together, reducing the likelihood of overselling and last-minute intervention.

Reducing time spent on duty returns

Duty returns had historically required a careful and time-intensive process, with multiple checks to ensure figures were correct.

“The big step up has been the reduction in time we have to put into duty returns,” says Anley. “With our old system we did a lot of double-checking to make sure everything was correct.”

By streamlining how duty is calculated and reported, Siren has been able to significantly reduce the time spent on monthly submissions.

“Breww cuts out a whole load of time on duty work – probably saving 4 to 5 hours,” he adds.

As Siren’s customer base has grown, so too have expectations around traceability and compliance. Supplying Marks & Spencer brought these requirements into sharper focus.

“From a traceability point of view, Breww has been really useful,” says Anley. “We recently underwent a Marks & Spencer audit as we now supply them.”

While the brewery had systems in place previously, demonstrating traceability is now far simpler.

“Although we could do that before because we tracked inputs from suppliers and outputs, it is 100% easier on Breww,” he explains. “We didn’t have to build anything complex – we could demonstrate the capability quickly. It’s simple: someone can run the query and press a button.”

Bringing systems together has also enabled Siren to take a more structured approach to reporting and commercial decision-making.

“All the data is in one place and reporting is straightforward,” says Anley. “I’ve built a system to track our deals and have brought data into Power BI.”

That work is feeding into longer-term analysis.

“We’re close to finishing a permanent line database tracker that will show, month by month, whether customers are meeting their contract agreements,” he adds. “All the data is there, and we’re starting to make much better decisions based on it.”

Breww has also helped Siren achieve a clearer view of stock valuation, particularly around beer still in production.

“Breww helps us with a much tighter stock valuation,” Anley explains. “Previously that was a challenge – especially valuing stock in production versus packaged stock that hasn’t gone out.”

Having clearer structure and visibility has improved accuracy overall.

One of the most noticeable changes has been how widely the system is now used across the team.

“There’s now a lot more opportunity for everyone to interact with the system, which is excellent,” says Anley. “It divests some of the admin to the people actually doing the work, rather than having someone else key it in later.”

That shift has had a positive impact, particularly within the brewery.

“People are using Breww in ways they never did before, even on the brewery side, and that’s been positive,” he says. “The general feeling is that people want to do more and help.”

Looking ahead

Asked what advice he would give to other breweries considering a similar move to Breww, Anley is clear.

“If another brewery asked me, I’d say absolutely go for it.”

For Siren, bringing systems together has been less about rapid change and more about building confidence in day-to-day operations, from stock and duty through to sales and reporting. With clearer visibility across the business, the brewery is now better placed to manage growth without adding unnecessary complexity, allowing the team to focus on brewing, selling and planning for what comes next.