Our “So you want to work at a brewery” Blog Series is Back!!
For this round of the series, we are going to be highlighting women in brewing! We will be interviewing several women working different positions in the Vermont Craft Beer industry, giving viewers interested in pursuing a job in the field an inside look into the business and advice on how to get hired and thrive in these roles!
Emily Provost
Read about the perspective of Emily, a Marketing Manager at Von Trapp Brewing, to help you on your search and interview process!
What is your brewery story?
As a born-and-raised Vermonter, I’ve grown up around craft beer culture. My first job out of college was with Wild Hart Distillery in Shelburne, Vermont, where I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed working in the beverage space. As my career progressed, I worked at creative agencies as a strategist and content producer, primarily supporting food and beverage brands. I loved the creativity that comes with marketing perishable CPG products, from developing recipes and food and drink styling concepts to crafting stories that resonate with both consumers and buyers or distributors. It was energizing work, and it confirmed for me that I wanted to stay in the F&B industry.
While I enjoyed agency life, I realized I wanted the opportunity to make a deeper impact by working in-house and helping shape a single brand over time. When the Marketing Manager role at von Trapp Brewing opened up, I applied right away. It felt like a natural fit, bringing together my experience working with local brands, my familiarity with the von Trapp family story, and my roots as a Vermonter (shout out Hinesburg).
What is your role at the brewery?
I am the Marketing Manager, but working in a small, family-owned brewery means wearing many hats. My core responsibility is generating leads and building brand demand to support our sales team. My responsibilities include:
- Social media strategy, content production, and paid media
- Analytics and reporting to the board of directors
- Team leadership, delegation, and performance management
- Public relations
- Market research
- Product innovation and trend forecasting
- Event planning and execution
- Product and packaging design
- Swag and POS development
- Annual brand calendar development
- Sponsorship management
- Distributor brand management across a 16-state footprint
- Cross-brand alignment with von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort
- Photography, videography, and copywriting
- Website management and development
- Budget management
- Email marketing
- Compliance coordination with legal teams and state regulators
- Label approvals and alcohol marketing law compliance
- VIP hosting (tours, dinners, relationship building)
At its core, my job is to:
- Keep the brand culturally relevant
- Educate consumers
- Drive demand for our sales team
- Ensure brand consistency across every touchpoint
- Use data to inform innovation
- Make sure we look good!
I also serve on the Events & Marketing Committee for the Vermont Brewers Association, collaborating with marketers across the state to promote Vermont beer collectively.
What are the top things you would look for in hiring?
When looking to welcome a new team member, I am first and foremost looking for someone who is a team player, enthusiastic about craft beer and our mission as an outdoor adventure loving brand, and motivated by their own professional growth. Of course, experience in marketing, content creation, brand strategy, communications, and an eye for design are all key, but we want to work with people who are stoked to be in the Vermont beer community!
Also, someone who is confident and excited to shake this place up! As the stewards of the brand, it’s our job to keep the brand relevant, innovative, and cutting edge! There’s no such thing as a bad idea, we love to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I love coming up with ways to tie our brand values into our content and collateral. Photoshoots of skiers refreshing with a Pilsner, slingback beer coolers for hiking to giveaway at events, sponsorships of local VMBA chapters… it’s fun to align my work with the heart of our mission: a deep respect for the outdoors. Also, taking photos of beer is always fun (albeit sticky).
What is the hardest part of your job?
Right now, figuring out ways to make our beer stand out in a market of NAs and canned cocktails. There will always be competition, but that’s why we have a killer team to creative problem solve and charge ahead.
How have you seen your role grow?
Throughout my time at von Trapp, I’ve earned a seat at the table for large discussions around what beers we make and how they are presented to the public. When I took this job, as someone who primarily drank Miller Lite, I never thought that I would be working with our head brewer, sales execs, and logistics team to come up with new craft beer products. I love it, and my work in marketing and consumer research is extremely helpful in informing what decisions we make.
What is a typical day like for you?
One of the great things about my job is that no day looks the same! Somedays I have long meetings with our team looking at plans for years ahead, other days I’m design posters for bars, sometimes I’m creating branded swag to give out on ski mountains, at least once a week you can find me surrounded by beers and cameras, shooting content. The important thing about my job is to stay agile. I hop on things that need attention quickly, help out with last minute projects, create content that is relevant to that day, etc. As much as a perfectly planned calendar would be great, I thrive when I can meet the moment.
What is one thing you would recommend to someone who is hoping to work your position at a brewery?
Be THIRSTY for learning! It is your job to market the liquid in digestible and enticing ways for the public, without losing any respect and honor for the brewing process and the work your production team does. Learn as much as you can from the brewers, get feedback from the sales team about how we appear in the market, and never be afraid to ask for peer reviews.
Something that helped me break into the industry was my experience bartending/serving in college, mixed with my content creation background. I had a basic knowledge of beer, beer pairings, and big volume drivers which helped me come into the brand with some context.
Be well versed in current and emerging social media platforms, listening tools, email marketing services, relevant media outlets, and keep an eye on the market as a whole. Who is doing what? Why? What trends do you see? How are current events changing the beverage industry? What are the habits of newer beer-drinking generations? Stay in the know!
Don’t just report on your work, synthesize it. So Instagram pics of beer in a glass out-performed pics of beer in a can… WHY? What’s your next move, now that you know this info?? Dig deeper.
You need a clean, organized, and impactful portfolio! Rock some socks off with your favorite photos/videos you’ve taken, writing samples, growth statistics from past social media accounts, etc. A picture is work 1000 words, so show ’em off.
Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Not everyone knows that we are the von Trapp’s who inspired The Sound of Music (yes, they are a real family!) When the von Trapp’s fled Austria, they traveled the US performing as a singing family trope, eventually settling in Stowe, Vermont on an idyllic farm that reminded them of their ancestral Austria. They began welcoming guests to their mountain lodge (now known as von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort) in 1950, and throughout the years have added things such as 2,600 acres of trails, the first cross country center in the US, a bakery, a stone chapel, and of course, an Austrian-style lager brewery!
I work with the marketing team at von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort to tie in the family’s story to our beer in fun and creative ways, but also to draw lodge visitors to the brewery and educate them on the traditional, time-honored beers we make! We team up to do events, encourage traffic between the lodge and brewery, and further tell the story of our brand.
Staying at the lodge is truly an immersive experience. My perfect day? Wake up at the lodge, have breakfast at the Kaffeehaus, XC ski around the property and end at the von Trapp Brewing Bierhall for a pint (or 2) and some schnitzel!
Lastly, we aren’t saving lives here, we’re marketing beer. It’s supposed to be fun! Don’t forget that, and you’ll be just fine. 🙂
