FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2021
Grow & Fortify Launches Maryland Craft Beverages App
Fans of locally produced beer, wine, and spirits can explore and track their Maryland craft beverage journeys with this new app for Android and iOS users.
(ANNAPOLIS, MD) – The Maryland Craft Beverages app is now available in the Apple and Google Play stores. This free app allows craft alcohol drinkers in Maryland to plan future stops, track visited locations, and participate in the integrated industry passports. The directory in the app includes all active members of the Brewers Association of Maryland, the Maryland Distillers Guild, and the Maryland Wineries Association that currently offer guest experiences. This app puts a curated craft beverage experience in the palm of your hand.
“The Maryland Craft Beverages app is a great resource for locals and visitors,” says Kevin Atticks, CEO of Grow & Fortify. “Everyone using the app can view our state’s numerous craft beverage trails, and track the tasting rooms they visit and support via the passport.”
Connecting consumers with local tasting rooms and increasing revenues for Maryland beverage producers are the primary goals of this new app. To facilitate this, Grow & Fortify is replacing the annual print release of the Maryland Craft Beverage map they distributed via tourist destinations throughout the state. As the number of businesses in the craft beverage industries continues to grow, printed materials are quickly outdated while a digital tool is able to be updated and maintained.
“This app offers us a great opportunity to provide Maryland residents and visitors with up-to-date information about tasting room locations and the industry,” says Jim Bauckman, Director of Communications at Grow & Fortify. “The app also serves us useful data about consumer trends regarding location traffic and preferences.”
In addition to traditional beer, wine, and spirits trails, the Maryland Craft Beverage app includes trails dedicated to highlighting the state’s growing number of cider and mead producers. Grow & Fortify has worked with the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, Maryland Department of Agriculture and numerous county tourism offices to include additional, locally promoted trail experiences. Events promoted by the three industries will be highlighted in the app and attendees can use the app to browse participating vendors and products.
Beginning in 2020, Grow & Fortify and Daruma Tech worked together to develop this unique app. The development of this app provided an opportunity for the team at Daruma Tech to create a single product that includes locations in the three craft beverage industries. Other applications in their portfolio focus specifically on the craft beer industry.
“We enjoyed working with Grow & Fortify to develop an app that created a unique experience for each of the Maryland craft beverage industries that they represent,” said Susan Erickson of Daruma Tech. “The app is powered by Daruma Tech’s Local Explorers platform and allows users to plan trail experiences and collect loyalty points along the way in the three digital passports tailored for each industry.”
The Maryland Craft Beverage App was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant #AM200100XXXXG050. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA. To download the app, users can visit the app stores directly or find more information on the Grow & Fortify website.
About Grow & Fortify
Grow & Fortify is built to support value-added agricultural organizations and the businesses they represent. We’ve gathered a team of professionals to support agricultural startups and ensure the financial viability of our land, and ultimately, our community.
Grow & Fortify is currently retained to represent the Brewers Association of Maryland, the Maryland Distillers Guild, and the Maryland Wineries Association.
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