For this week’s Cincinnati-based brand, we work our way into another hospitality brand, but this one involves some hops! Yes, we are talking about Rhinegeist brewery! This once small brewery has emerged as one of the most popular craft breweries in Cinci, and is now taking on the nation!

In 2005, Bob Bonder and Bryant Goulding were two hopeful entrepreneurs on the search to create the next big thing for a lucky city in the U.S. As for Bob and his coffee endeavors, he decided to pursue Cincinnati for the sheer fact of how the city has proven its love for caffeine. After Bob’s move, Bryant decided to take a three-month-long trip to South America to find his purpose, and returned with the passion to sell beer! Years later, Bryant visits Bob in Cincinnati in 2011 to see what all of the hype was about, and by the time their tour of the city was over, Bob and Bryant were determined to begin their journey of building a brewery! Fast forward to 2020: Rhinegeist has successfully earned its spot as 28th largest independent craft brewery in the U.S., and the 2nd largest in Ohio. It also distributes over 100,000 barrels to 7 states each year, nearly 50 times more than their first opening year in 2013. 

There is no doubt that Rhinegeist brewery has been incredibly successful, and has changed the format of brewery marketing. What makes Rhinegeist different? For one, check out their Instagram and other social media pages! If you were to scroll down their feed, you might notice that it is almost like an aesthetically pleasing art gallery, but with beer! When a customer or potential customer visits a business’s social media page, they should instantly feel who the brand is, and Rhinegeist has their social media identity down to the tee! Another notable technique used by Rhinegeist is the packaging and design of the product. Although the main structure of the can design remains consistent, it certainly is not a weakness in any way! Rather, each brew of beer has its own appealing and unique design that properly reflects the “personality” of tastes. If someone was to walk past the freezer section in search of a new beer to try, Rhinegeist’s designs and consistency are sure to stand out as compared to its competitors! Overall, this brand has gone from wanting to disrupt the Cincinnati craft brewery market, to becoming one of the most successful in the state of Ohio!