Drinking outside the (Bunker) Box.

Left to right: Daniel Emery, Tom Croft and Phil Stevens of The Welder’s Dog Brewery, Bars and Bunker Box fame.

You know how we feel about the overuse of the word ‘pivot’.

But holy moly Batman, there’s one small business right here in our home town that put Ross and Chandler to shame way back in March when Rona came to play.

Introducing ‘The Dog’… next-level pivoting pros

The Welder’s Dog brewery first kicked-off production in 2017. The three-way lovechild of mates Tom Croft, Daniel Emery and Phil Stevens, ‘The Dog’ as it’s affectionately known here in Armidale, has since added two craft beer bars to the mix – one in town and another in nearby Tamworth.

The lads love nothing more than creating new styles of beer and serving up some good ol’ fashioned hospitality. When we spoke to Dan recently, he said “our patrons are our number one priority – you don’t have to be hip or a craft beer snob [thank god!], just open to trying something new and enjoying yourself”. 

And enjoy ourselves we do, when Rona restrictions allow of course.

There’s a storm a-brewin’

Dan said the team first noticed a drop in business early March, and were sensing some pretty serious angst from the community. In his own words, “It was pretty clear a shitstorm was coming”.

So they took matters into their own hands, shut up shop and put their thinking caps on.

Here’s how this remarkable pivot timeline played out: 

Friday 20 March: Owned the “shitstorm” like the bosses they are and screamed “Not today Rona!!” into the wintery New England winds.

Sat 21 March: Light bulb moment – “Whatever was coming, people would still need to drink and eat. We knew some locals who produced some pretty decent tucker. The first person we spoke to was the owner of The Goldfish Bowl Cafe, his reaction? ‘Fucken oath, whatever we have to do, we’re in’. We figured right there and then that everyone was probably in the same boat,” said Dan.

And that’s the brain-dazzling moment The Welder’s Dog Bunker Box was born: a divine collection of locally-produced goods, delivered in a safe, socially-distanced way to the doorsteps of good folks throughout Armidale, Tamworth and Inverell.

Sunday 22 March: Welder’s Dog bars officially closed for business. Begin pooling resources to keep the Dog ship afloat.

Monday 23 March: Dan, Tom and Phil hit the streets, knock on doors and pick up the phone to get producers on board. They also begin figuring out the logistics – a key challenge they initially grossly underestimated.

“We figured we could easily deliver 12-15 boxes in an hour, but in actual fact it was more like six,” said Dan. “We’ve since invested in some routing software which has helped us out majorly.”

Monday night is spent building a basic website to get this good thang up and running.

Tuesday 24 March: Mandatory bar closures announced… saw that one coming. The lads are already knee-deep in plan B. The Welder’s Dog Bunker Box website is launched.

Wednesday 25 March: 24 hours post-launch, the first week’s cap of 100 Bunker Boxes are sold out. Holy smokin’ moly… this thing’s got wheels.

“It was off the chain! By week three we were doing over 200 boxes and it kept creeping up until we hit a peak of 377… we were packing boxes at 4am to keep up,” said Dan.

Thriving, not just surviving

The Welder’s Dog Bunker Box speedy business pivot meant they not only kept their original team ticking over, but even had the opportunity to hire a casual worker in desperate need of some extra dosh in #covidtimes. 

Financials aside, The Welder’s Dog Bunker Box has worked wonders for boosting the community spirit. Something we can vouch for as proud supporters from day dot, and now that subscriptions are available, we’re signed up for the long haul.

“What’s more, for team building it’s been unreal and equally important,” said Dan.

“It’s allowed us to make a little direction change in the brewery, away from focusing on wholesale and instead building a stronger regional following. The Bunker Box is – and continues to be – a great tool for us to connect with our locals and get new products into their hands. We’re also proud to help out our suppliers in these tough times.”

Cheers to the future!

Dan, Tom and Phil rolled up their sleeves and responded fast to the needs of their community when they needed it most. Now not only is their business reaping the benefits, but the local producers involved and community to-boot.

Of course, now that restrictions are slowly lifting again, the new and innovative ideas just keep on coming from The Welder’s Dog team.

“We’re juggling a few big projects at the brewery right now, but we certainly have some cool plans to keep The Bunker Box alive and well for the long term,” said Dan.

“We’re talking about quality going through the roof with exclusive products and full regional delivery. Picture the world’s best steak (Jacks Creek, Tamworth), along with a Native orange kettle sour (coming soon… not to mention some other limited release beers with awesome stories), specialty Goldfish Bowl breads, recipe cards, more prizes, improved packaging and loyalty systems, increased flexibility with special requests for customers, freebies for folks who can pick up, full serves and half serves, and an outrageously healthy Friday night box packed with beers and salty snacks.”

You had us at salty snacks, Dan.

So for those of you not lucky enough to already be acquainted with The Welder’s Dog team, check them out on Instagram and Facebook – you’ll be treated to some legitimately LOL social posts  from Phil, who also happens to be their head brewer.

“He’s one of the funniest fellas you’ll ever meet,” said Dan. “Without him, and the rest of our team, we’d be nothing but a couple of porchies.”