Beer-o-meter gives small brewers push back

Beer-o-meter gives small brewers push back

Groningen-based SG Papertronics is ensuring that craft beer brewers can deliver the highest quality beer with the Beer-o-meter. With this simple but high-quality plug-and-play testing system, the startup can record and analyze many on-the-spot values such as color, bitterness, acidity, sugar content and alcohol within minutes.

For the rapidly growing craft beer brewing sector, the testing system is almost a gamechanger, SG Papertronics founder Maciej Grajewski points out. Continuous beer quality normally requires a laboratory and trained personnel. The cost of that is too high for small(er) breweries.

This testing system, the Beer-o-meter, cuts costs immensely and will also enable brewers to develop new specialty beers faster. The analyses will help the growing bevy of craft brewers produce innovative beer of high and, above all, continuous quality.

Beer-o-meter gives small brewers push back

From left to right: Daan Zillen, Richard Rushby and Maciej Grajewski (Papertronics)

Early-stage funding

The Beer-o-meter has great potential, according to NOM and RUG Holding Company, which are jointly making an early-stage investment in the development of the system. General director Dina Boonstra of the NOM: ,,It is precisely in the very first phase that no money is made, but a beautiful product is created. Later, when the first paying customers come, other investors will follow. We help SG Papertronics now through a difficult period. The risk of such early-stage investments is high and there is little capital available in the market. Here we see an important role for the NOM; driving innovation.''

NOM and RUG Holding Company (RHM) see the great potential of SG Papertronics, because the technology of the Beer-o-meter can be used in many markets. Corina Prent, director of RHM: "Maciek Grajewski worked hard to get the investment process ready. That was difficult for him because, as a techie, he had to sell a concept. But Grajewski delivers.'' Prent points out that the test system gets better after each analysis because of so-called machine learning.

Grajewski is delighted with the support from NOM and RHM. ''Thanks to them, we were able to build a competent team that helps craft brewers brew the best beer within their reach.''

Startup SG Papertronics is already currently working with two local brewers from Groningen; Martinus and BaxBier. The usefulness of the Beer-o-meter is also recognized by craft brewers. Several parties are already interested in the Groningen technology.

The startup will move into Innolab Agrifood, an open-innovation lab on Campus Groningen. The ecosystem of the Campus is proving itself again with this, as investors and facilitators provide support for the entrepreneurs.