Infinite Ingredient is a non-profit with a mission to actively support the mental and physical well-being of professionals in the craft beverage industries. That sounds like a pretty good mission. Its founder, Katie Muggli, has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years, with more than eight in craft beer. It gave her a firsthand look at how much mental and physical well being is overlooked in the industry. Founded in the summer of 2021, Infinite Ingredient is a new non-profit, but it’s already caught my attention because of its recent Craft Beer Burnout Survey. From a recent press release:
“For years, those of us working in craft beer have heard tales of burnout, but it’s never an issue that had been analyzed at a macro level so we could have a sense of the significance,” explained Katie Muggli, Founder and Executive Director, Infinite Ingredient. “This survey shows that burnout is a very real and very large challenge facing the industry.”
The preliminary results of this Craft Beer Burnout Survey are available right over here. So far, it has been completed by 388 people across 42 states, and according to the press release was conducted using three key components:
- Occupational Exhaustion — feelings of energy depletion/exhaustion
- Depersonalization/Loss of Empathy — increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism/cynicism related to one’s job
- Personal Accomplishment — reduced personal efficacy
The 2023 survey is actually still open and can be completed until Friday, April 21, right here.
“While this is the first time we’ve quantitatively defined burnout in craft beer, and it appears to be a significant issue, it’s important to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these numbers,” continued Muggli. “We don’t have pre-pandemic data to use as a comparison, but based on results we’ve seen within other industries, the data indicates serious issues specific to craft beer at play. We have a lot of work to do, but given the positive sentiment we’ve seen from the number of responses to the survey, I think there’s a desire within the industry to make change on this front.”
This survey is aiming to represent job functions across a brewery, including production, sales, marketing, taproom, administration and ownership. While this non-profit is in its early stages and this survey doesn’t have a ton of people yet, the organization has a good mission. It’s currently raising capital for craft beverage professionals in hopes of one day offering access to: Master’s-degree level counselors via telephone and in person: work/life resources including assistance with adoption, elder/adult care, parenting, child care and disability support; legal and financial resources including divorce/custody, bankruptcy, budgeting, personal injury and more; medical advocacy resources including insurance navigation, doctor referrals, adult care coaches, etc.; and coaching resources including life transitions, goal setting and more.
Infinite Ingredient has some good folks on its board as well, including Ann Reilly, executive director of the NYC Craft Brewers Guild, and Elle Rhodes, national sales director for Du Nord Spirits and cofounder and executive director of Brewing Change Collaborative — another impressive-looking non-profit focused on diversity and inclusion. Infinite Ingredient sees this Burnout Survey as an annual analysis, as the problem is pretty serious. From the press release:
For cross-industry contextualization, burnout rates in craft beer measured higher than a similar 2022 survey of U.S. doctors conducted by the American Medical Association.
If you’re feeling burned out at work, there’s help available. This Infinite Ingredient resources page is a great place to start.
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