Orange region small breweries have backed a state government plan to boost craft beer tourism experiences and business opportunities.
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An action plan has proposed food, wine and ale trail tours, providing business and economic analysis assistance to rural and regional brewers and potentially discovering export market opportunities.
Badlands Brewery owner Jon Shiner said having the resources to run brewery tours as part of an ale trail experience in the region would be valuable for the business.
"We've tried to do it before ourselves with the support of the DPI and Destination NSW. It just fell by the wayside about 18 months ago," he said.
You can actually have a weekend where you are going from brewery to brewery.
- Peter Gerber, Pioneer Brewing Company
Mr Shiner said he had tours during the FOOD Week festival and on a few other weekends a year.
"It would be good to do more. We are planning on doing that one day," he said.
However, Mr Shiner said exporting was beyond their scope because of factors including pricing and the shelf-life of beer.
"Exporting is not for small, micro-breweries," he said.
Pioneer Brewing Company owner Peter Gerber said developing a trail of breweries through the region for people to tour, like wineries are visited now, was important.
"Beer tourism is massive in the US. It is certainly something that is happening in western Sydney," he said.
"You can actually have a weekend where you are going from brewery to brewery."
Mr Gerber said there was also a need to address a major skills shortage in the brewing industry.
Deputy Premier and minister for regional NSW John Barilaro said two-thirds of the independent brewing industry was located in rural and regional areas.
He said it employed about 3300 people, but that could grow to 6000 workers within five years through implementation of the government's action plan.
However, Mr Gerber said there was little formal training available to recruit skilled workers to the industry.
"You start out as basically an unskilled labourer. It is all handed down from the person you are working on it with," he said.
Mr Gerber said the action plan would help the brewing industry to mature, work together, and have government recognition and appreciation of the issues facing independent brewers.
"This is a starting point of getting the federal and state governments to sit up and take notice," he said.
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