With high-quality craft beer and community connection at the core of their business, Anna Suthers and Billy Barneston’s regional brewery keeps the Illawarra region thirsty for more.

When Billy, a Sydney-based commercial brewer, and his physiotherapist girlfriend Anna were seeking a change in pace from their shift work and busy schedules, the idea of starting their own brewery seemed like a perfect move.

“We wanted to do something where we could work together and bring the dog to work,” Billy says. “So it was definitely easier to teach Anna to brew than it was to teach me how to do physio.”

Along with their trusty brew-dog Kodah, the pair opened the doors of Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine, or RGBM, in 2018. The small batch brewery specialising in craft lagers is located in Tarrawanna, just 10 minutes drive from Wollongong’s centre.

In just a few years, Anna and Billy’s brewery has become a community staple, hosting dedicated locals and visiting tourists all year round. With a diverse tap list of carefully crafted brews and homemade seltzers on offer, the pair have something for everyone, not just die-hard beer devotees.

“We structure [the tap list] so the easiest drinkers are the low numbers and it just increases in flavour intensity as you go across,” Billy explains. “Our main-selling beer would be the Kölsch, it’s our gateway craft beer as we like to call it, so it’s not too strong in any particular flavour direction.”

Watch Billy and Anna’s story here:

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The long road to opening day

Before settling on a destination and venue for RGBM, Anna and Billy set out on the ultimate market research trip: a 9000km cycling trip from Alaska to Costa Rica, visiting 150 breweries along the way.

“We wanted to do one last big hurrah because we knew that we were getting locked into something long,” says Billy, who used the trip to design the layout of the brew house as well as the name and logos still used today.

Returning from their adventure with a detailed plan in place, Anna and Billy took almost two years to find a perfect venue. When they happened across an old bakery in Tarrawanna, they immediately got to work transforming the space into the brewery that exists today.

“We did the bulk of the demo ourselves with a couple of family members,” says Billy. “It was very much a hands-on learning experience, which was good because it kept costs down.”

The space is fitted with recycled and reused materials, including the original bakery sign that remains inside the brew house as an homage to the community, and an old tree from Anna’s grandad’s property that was fashioned into the central bar.

Raising the bar on customer service

Since opening, the brewers have enlisted the help of Square to keep things running smoothly. From organising their merchandise and beer stock to processing all payments seamlessly, the bustling brewery draws on Square’s software solutions throughout almost every aspect of their business.

“Square plays a very central role in our business,” Billy shares. “It’s something that all of our customers come in contact with every time they come to the bar, and it’s something that our staff use every single day.”

The simplicity and intuitive nature of Square’s systems and hardware suits the day-to-day operations of RGBM perfectly. When thirsty customers are lining up for a pint, the last thing the bar staff needs is a POS system that can’t keep up.

“We change up our beer list a lot, so every time we’ve got a new product you have to change it on the point of sale,” Anna says. “It’s really easy to do on the fly as well when something runs out.”

With Square’s latest updates, Billy and Anna are still able to process transactions and offline sales when the internet goes down (something many regional businesses have experienced at some point).

“Every big storm happens when we’re heaving and that’s when the internet goes down,” says Billy. “So, the lights might go out, but we can still serve beer.”

 

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Giving back to the Illawarra community

With the support of the Illawarra locals playing such a central role in the brewery’s success, Anna and Billy’s proudest accomplishments stem from giving back to their community. After being approached to contribute a $50 voucher in support of a local surfing organisation, Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine became the platinum sponsor of the Woonona Boardriders club.

“A big thing for us is supporting grassroots female sports,” says Anna. “So, for us to be in a position financially that we can actually seriously contribute to something and make a difference, that’s probably our proudest achievement to date.”

The pair’s passion for supporting equality and opportunity in sports doesn’t stop there. Their fermenter tanks pay homage to the greatest female sports stars around the world.

“You’ve got to do something pretty special to get your name on a tank,” Anna explains. “We’ve got Tyler Wright, Steph Gilmore, Serena, Ash Barty, Simone Biles, and the original, Charlotte Caslick.”

Brewing something new

After positive feedback from a successful trial canning run, RGBM are in the process of developing their own cans of beer for sale across the Illawarra. However, before they tackle that task, it’s renovation time.

“About a year ago we started collaborating with one of our friends, Britt, who is a very good cook and she’s put in a Mexican restaurant that runs pretty much as our kitchen,” Anna says. “The next stage of our renovations is actually to join the two venues together and increase our capacity.”

While the aim of the game is to draw in customers from everywhere, the pair strive to make the venue the best it can be for the locals that have supported them for years.

“It’s a use it or lose it kind of scenario for regional businesses,” says Billy. “A lot of people don’t appreciate that you actually have to use those nice things in your local area in order for them to survive.

“My motto is look after the locals and they’ll look after you.”

Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine is part of Kochie’s Business Builders and Square‘s Regional Heroes campaign to celebrate the vital contributions regional businesses make to our communities. Square is committed to helping businesses of all sizes adapt and grow, no matter where they’re based. See how Square can help your business today.

This article is brought to you by Kochie’s Business Builders in partnership with Square.