New Jersey’s Craft Beer Industry is Tied for Fastest Growing in the Country, KZG’s Eric Orlando Provides Extensive Analysis & Perspective on the Future of the Industry

According to a recent study conducted by C + R Research, New Jersey’s craft beer industry has grown 43% since 2015, tied with Kentucky for the most growth in the country. C + R’s study was prompted by the growing number of breweries across the United States. In 2007, there were only 1,511 craft brewery facilities in the country, but in 2018, that number grew to over 7,000.

For further analysis and insight about the study’s findings, NorthJersey.com and the Courier-Post turned to KZG’s Eric Orlando. Eric, who also serves as the Executive Director of the Brewers Guild of New Jersey, and has worked with the state’s craft beer industry for almost a decade, discussed the results of the study, as well as his views about the industry’s future growth.

In the article, Eric attributes the state’s rapid growth to the 2012 bi-partisan legislation signed by then-Governor Chris Christie to give breweries increased onsite sales privileges, including the ability to sell beer by the pint to drink in a brewery’s tasting room. Eric and KZG played an integral role in the passage of this landmark legislation on behalf of the craft beer industry, and several of its leading breweries which now make up the Brewers Guild of New Jersey. Eric also pointed to specific businesses that have cropped up in the state which benefit from the industry’s growth, including local craft beer bus tours and other promotional outlets specifically geared toward the state’s craft beer consumer. Finally, Eric explains that local communities and their elected officials’ eagerness to embrace craft breweries have played an important role in the industry’s overall growth throughout the state.

Although the study ranks New Jersey tied for first in its rankings for growth by percentage, the state still trails in other headline categories, including overall beer production and economic impact. While these statistics show that New Jersey’s craft beer industry has yet to reach a level where it can compete with traditional craft beer meccas like California and Pennsylvania, Eric believes these numbers demonstrate that the state can do more. “What these numbers tell me is there’s room for even more growth”, Eric said. “The bill that got signed into law in 2012 launched 1,000 ships. We had about two dozen breweries, now we have over 100. If you have a well-thought-out plan to increase breweries in the state it will work.”

To read the full article, please click here.