A Winning Company Culture

The hats to the far left are from employees with over 30 years of service. The hats in the middle are from each brewmaster: top; Kosmos Spoetzl (original brewmaster), his daughter who greatly expanded the reach, and the other five brewmaters that followed since 1914. The hats to the right are from employees with over 10 years of service. The message is clear: people are important.

While on vacation this week, my family and I had the privilege of touring the Shiner Bock Brewery Plant in Shiner, TX. And yes, it was truly a privilege.

The tour paid homage to the original brewmaster, Kosmos Spoetzl, who bought the brewery after immigrating from Germany. Kosmos kept the recipe in his hat, was known as a generous man, and often left bottles of Shiner Bock on fence posts out in the cotton fields for workers as they finished their work day. He set the tone of the culture from day one. The one "secret" ingredient to his recipe that he knew no one could duplicate was his people. Company culture always starts and ends with the leadership in place. The gentleman that led our tour was a tribute to that fact.

Yes, we learned the process for making great beer and saw the great steps taken in the production of that great beer. Yes, both were very impressive. The pride of the people shine through each step.

However, that was not what left the greatest impression on me. From the moment we pulled onto the property, you could feel their culture of quality and the quality of their culture. The grounds were not only immaculate, they were very inviting. They begged you to come in and hang out. Picnic tables with umbrellas and cornhole games led the way to the entrance. The employees greeted you as a friend more than a guest or visitor. They were grateful you were there and wanted to make sure you enjoyed your visit.

Every employee appeared to do multiple tasks. The gentleman that checked us in also poured beer in the tasting room and I later saw him tending to the flower beds outside. This was not unique, rather, very ordinary for their culture.

We quickly found out why... Shiner Bock Brewery only employs 125 people. Everyone chips in wherever needed to ensure the job gets done. And I never saw anyone "tell someone" what to do. They flowed seamlessly from one task to another because they care.

Their pride in the product was evident everywhere. You could feel it. Even in the promotional marketing such as the rebuild Ford truck, the motorcycle, or the goat head artwork above, the attention to detail and "getting it right" was obvious. Quality is job one whether the beer, the facility, or the people. There was never a sign of compromise - anywhere.

Throughout the tour, our guide proudly spoke of ways that the brewery gives back to the community. They give two full ride scholarships (one to each local high school) each year. They started a charity to support veterans - even have an area where they encourage guests to fill out postcards and insert them into a postbox to be delivered to our military. And of course, they fully support local events.

As a perk of employment, each employee gets two cases of beer the first Tuesday of every month and you can roll them over as needed. And when they make too much to sell, the employees are encouraged to take it rather than it go to waste.

Before we left, we enjoyed a cold draft on their outdoor patio. More than one table had employees gathered around after a day of work enjoying each's company and relaxing before heading home.

And they made us feel welcome. They couldn't help it... it is the pride in their culture.