Brewing up ecommerce success with an iconic brewery

If you’ve ever wandered through Cardiff, chances are you’ve spotted the iconic railway bridges proudly declaring, 'People who know beer… have Brains.’ 

Founded in Cardiff by Samuel Arthur Brain and his uncle Joseph Benjamin Brain in 1882, SA Brain & Company is as quintessentially Welsh as dragons, rugby, and Tom Jones… But after the COVID-19 Pandemic brought significant disruption to the hospitality industry, Brains turned to ecommerce to bring their beloved beers directly to customers' doorsteps. 

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Challenge 

“To be honest, it does exactly what we wanted. Zenstores has worked seamlessly from the day we put it in.” 

For over a century, Brains Brewery was synonymous with pub culture — a household name in Wales with loyal customers who knew exactly where to find their favourite beers. But taking their iconic brews from the bar to the doorstep was a whole new challenge.

Unlike traditional pub stockists, where the beer flowed and customers came to them, ecommerce required a whole new approach. As it turns out, sending pints in parcels is a bit more complicated than pulling them from a tap and there were significant challenges ahead: 

• Alcohol regulations: Shipping beer isn’t just a matter of putting bottles in a box, it requires age verification to ensure responsible delivery.
• Fragile goods: Delivering liquid in glass bottles posed logistical challenges — no one wants to open a package of smashed Rev. James!
• Customer expectations: Brains’ customers deserved a delivery experience as dependable and enjoyable as their pub visits.

As they entered the ecommerce space, Brains needed a solution that could handle initial orders efficiently while providing the scalability to grow with their online success. When exploring carriers, Brains identified Parcelforce as a partner for their alcohol shipping needs, and Parcelforce mentioned that Zenstores could be the perfect platform to streamline the process.

Solution 

“With Zenstores, the integration, everything worked with Shopify, it was just seamless. The team, they don’t log into Shopify, they just use Zenstores to look at the orders and generate the labels.”

Zenstores turned what could have been a frothy logistical challenge into a smooth pour of efficiency. With seamless integration into Shopify, Amazon, and Parcelforce, the platform simplified their processes, allowing the team to focus on delivering their renowned beers to customers’ homes without missing a beat.

This simplicity ensured the team could manage their orders efficiently:

• Streamlined Order Management: Orders from all platforms automatically appeared in one place.
• Effortless Label Creation: Shipping labels were generated with just a few clicks.
• Consistent Uptime: The platform’s reliability meant no disruptions to their workflow.

Without the hassle of managing multiple systems and ensuring their shipping process worked flawlessly, Zenstores gave the Brains team confidence in their ability to meet customer expectations, delivering a solution that has stood the test of time and earned their trust from day one.

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Result

‍“It’s worked great for us, and we’ve got no reason to look at changing it, it just does what it does. It’s been fantastic, I’d recommend it to anybody else.” 

Since partnering with Zenstores, Brains has mastered a delivery process as dependable as their brand. Orders are shipped quickly and accurately, ensuring customers receive their favourite beers in perfect condition.

Positive customer feedback speaks volumes: reviews highlight fast delivery, secure packaging, and the ease of ordering online. From day one, Zenstores has helped Brains build a scalable shipping system that grows with their success. Its simplicity keeps processes efficient, even during busy periods, while a seamless workflow eliminates the need to juggle multiple platforms.

With Zenstores' help, Brains Brewery isn’t just delivering beer — they’re bringing a taste of Welsh hospitality straight to homes across the UK, carrying on their legacy of exceptional quality for over a century.