Watch the full interview with Siren Craft Brew Founder, Darron Anley here:
As breweries grow, complexity has a habit of creeping in.
What starts as a few spreadsheets or separate systems can quickly turn into disconnected data, duplicated admin and too much knowledge sitting in one person’s head. It works - until it doesn’t.
For Siren Craft Brew, that tipping point came when three different systems were running side by side.
“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.”
With a move to Shopify planned, the need for a clearer, connected view of the business became more urgent.
One of the biggest operational risks was that the webshop was disconnected from the rest of the business.
“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.
Although the move to Shopify took longer than expected due to Shopify’s own implementation, Anley is clear about the support throughout the process.
“The work Breww did to help solve the problems we were having was fantastic - exactly what we wanted.”
For UK breweries, beer duty is a fixed monthly task - and one that leaves little room for error.
Previously, Siren relied on 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.”
With duty calculation streamlined, that time has reduced significantly.
“Breww cuts out a whole load of time on duty work - probably saving 4 to 5 hours.”
As Siren’s customer base grew, so did expectations around traceability and compliance. The brewery recently underwent an audit with Marks & Spencer after becoming a supplier.
“From a traceability point of view, Breww has been really useful,” says Anley.
While traceability was possible previously, demonstrating it is now far simpler.
“Although we could do that before because we tracked inputs from suppliers and outputs, it is 100% easier on Breww. 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 changed how Siren uses its data.
“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.”
The team is now close to finishing a perm line database tracker that will show, month by month, whether customers are meeting their contract agreements.
“All the data is there, and we’re starting to make much better decisions based on it.”
Clearer data means fewer assumptions - and more informed production and sales planning.
Stock valuation had previously been a challenge, particularly when distinguishing between beer in production and packaged stock not yet dispatched.
“Breww helps us with a much tighter stock valuation,” says Anley. “Previously that was a challenge - especially valuing stock in production versus packaged stock that hasn’t gone out.”
With clearer structure and visibility, overall accuracy has improved.
For the sales team, the impact has been immediate.
Jonathan Tebbs, Internal Sales Executive at Siren, highlights improvements in order building and delivery management.
“Building orders and splitting deliveries on a daily basis is easier now. The split of different delivery methods is nicely grouped for visibility across our warehouse.”
The integrated CRM has also streamlined calling workflows.
“CRM is integrated with Breww, which we didn’t have before, so I can handle everything from one page and move on - that’s more efficient for calls, and calls drive revenue.”
Mobile access has been another key shift. “The fact the field team can use Breww on mobile devices is a major improvement.”
Tebbs estimates that not having to pause between calls to open a new account or check details saves around half an hour a day, sometimes more.
Training new team members has also been straightforward. “I’ve trained three people on Breww and it was an easy, intuitive process.”
Sometimes the strongest validation is subtle.
“Two weeks in, the sales team weren’t complaining - they weren’t saying it was hard work,” says Anley. “That quiet endorsement from the team was a really positive sign in those first few weeks.”
More people now interact directly with the system rather than relying on someone else to key information in later.
“There’s now a lot more opportunity for everyone to interact with the system, which is excellent,” he says. “It divests some of the admin to the people actually doing the work.”
Even within the brewery team, usage has expanded.
“People are using Breww in ways they never did before, even on the brewery side, and that’s been positive. The general feeling is that people want to do more and help.”
Asked what advice he would give to other breweries considering a similar move, Anley is clear.
“My advice would be to go for it. Breww has the foundations to take us where we need to be: the information and reporting are there, and the company is clearly focused on brewery businesses.“
“If another brewery asked me, I’d say absolutely go for it.”
For Siren Craft Brew, bringing systems together wasn’t about adding complexity. It was about creating clarity - across sales, stock, production, duty and reporting - and building confidence as the brewery continues to grow.
Want to see how Breww works in practice? You can now explore the platform using a test brewery account, loaded with example data so you can click around, try features, and get a feel for how everything fits together.