MiniBrew
MiniBrew B.V. is a Dutch home brewing equipment company that designs and sells the CRAFT Gen 3, an automated all-in-one countertop machine producing 6 liters of beer, kombucha, cider, or seltzer per batch. It serves 3,000+ hobbyist and professional brewers globally via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, supported by recipe kits and a subscription software platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersUtrecht, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What MiniBrew does
MiniBrew B.V. is a Dutch private limited company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, that designs and sells an all-in-one automated home brewing machine under the CRAFT Gen 3 brand. The countertop appliance integrates mashing, boiling, chilling, fermentation, and carbonation in a single unit controlled via WiFi-connected browser interface, producing 6 liters of beer per batch over 3-30 days. The hardware also brews kombucha, cider, and seltzer, and is paired with a pressurized Smart Keg that keeps finished product fresh for up to three months. The company sells exclusively direct-to-consumer through a Shopify storefront to 3,000+ customers across 40+ countries.
The technology stack centers on proprietary IoT-enabled hardware (Base Station, Mash Tun, Smart Keg) with automated temperature, timing, and fermentation monitoring that delivers browser-based real-time alerts, eliminating manual intervention. A complementary software platform — the Pro Portal — hosts 20,000+ curated and community-created recipes sourced partly from marquee brewery partnerships (Mikkeller, Weihenstephan, BrewDog, Gipsy Hill, Jopen, Krummi). The product-led growth model is reinforced by a tiered subscription (free Starter, paid Pro/Legend) and active community channels on Facebook, Discord, and Circle.
The business model combines one-time hardware sales (machine from €1,099) with recurring revenue from recipe kits (€20-37 per 6-liter batch), tiered subscriptions, accessories, and a Peace of Mind extended warranty. Customer segments span complete beginners, intermediate hobbyists, and professional brewers using the machine as a pilot brewery. The company has raised approximately $6.8M across six rounds through 2018 (notably from Hoving & Partners SA and VOC Capital Partners) and received CES 2025 Innovation Awards Honoree recognition. MiniBrew operates with 1-10 employees and is founder-led by co-founder Bart van de Kooij.
MiniBrew firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MiniBrew
- Legal name
- MiniBrew B.V.
- Website
- https://minibrew.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MiniBrew B.V. is a Dutch home brewing equipment company that designs and sells the CRAFT Gen 3, an automated all-in-one countertop machine producing 6 liters of beer, kombucha, cider, or seltzer per batch. It serves 3,000+ hobbyist and professional brewers globally via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, supported by recipe kits and a subscription software platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MiniBrew industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Home Brewing Equipment
- NAICS
- Breweries (31212), Breweries (312120)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Probiotic & Live-Culture Beverage Production (Shots, Tonics) (AFAFAHAE), Microbreweries & Craft Breweries (THAFALAC)
Keywords
Where MiniBrew is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Utrecht
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
MiniBrew business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of MiniBrew CRAFT Gen 3 brewing machine as one-time purchase. Base machine sold with accessories and initial recipe kit. Machine is a durable good with warranty coverage.
- Subscription Services: Starter tier (free) provides basic recipe kit access and one custom brew every 8 weeks. Pro/Legend paid tiers offer unlimited custom brews, 20,000+ community recipes, advanced fermentation controls, and premium support including private WhatsApp group.
- Recipe Kits: Consumable ingredient packs for each brew style (Beer, Kombucha, Cider, Seltzer). Sold individually from €20-€36 per 6-liter batch kit.
- Peace of Mind Service (POM-Service): Extended warranty and maintenance service covering parts and labor for ordinary wear and tear. Can be purchased alongside machine or at any time thereafter, extending warranty by 1-2 years.
- Accessories: Additional brewing accessories sold separately through the accessories collection shop.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Starter - Free tier with basic recipe access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro/Legend - Premium subscription for serious brewers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | MiniBrew CRAFT Gen 3 Machine |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Recipe Kits |
| Subscription | Annual | Peace of Mind Service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
MiniBrew product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MiniBrew designs, manufactures, and sells the CRAFT Gen 3, an all-in-one automated home brewing machine that integrates a Base Station, Mash Tun, and pressurized Smart Keg into a single countertop appliance. The system automates mashing, boiling, chilling, fermentation, and carbonation, producing 6 liters of microbrewery-quality craft beer (or kombucha, cider, or seltzer) per batch in 3-30 days, monitored in real time via a browser. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales, recurring subscription tiers (Starter/Pro/Legend) for software and recipe access, recurring consumable recipe kit sales, accessories, and an optional extended warranty service (POM).
Product overview
MiniBrew is a single-product company centered on the CRAFT Gen 3 all-in-one brewing machine, which integrates automated brewing (mashing, boiling, chilling), fermentation, and carbonation in one countertop appliance. The offering is supported by a subscription-based software platform (Pro Portal) providing recipe access and monitoring, plus complementary recipe kits and accessories. The machine also brews kombucha, cider, and seltzer alongside beer. The portfolio is: CRAFT Gen 3 (core hardware) + Pro Portal (brew software) + Recipe Kits (ingredients) + Accessories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MiniBrew CRAFT Gen 3 All-in-one automated home brewing machine integrating a Base Station, Mash Tun, and pressurized Smart Keg into a single countertop appliance. Automates mashing, boiling, chilling, fermentation, and carbonation and produces 6 liters of microbrewery-quality beer, kombucha, cider, or seltzer per batch in 3-30 days, with real-time monitoring and alerts via browser.
- Recipe Kits Curated ingredient kits containing malt, hops, yeast, and instructions to brew a specific 6-liter batch style on the MiniBrew CRAFT Gen 3 machine. Sold individually per batch, including partner-branded recipes from Mikkeller, Weihenstephan, BrewDog, Jopen, Gipsy Hill, and Krummi.
- Accessories
Quantifiable outcome
- Cost per glass approximately €1 compared to €5-8 at bars
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use MiniBrew
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MiniBrew technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
MiniBrew partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MikkellercoreMikkeller provides curated craft beer recipes for MiniBrew users. One of the world's best-known craft breweries with unique recipes available on the MiniBrew platform.
- WeihenstephancoreBavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan, the world's oldest brewery, provides authentic German beer recipes for MiniBrew platform.
- Gipsy Hill BrewingminorUK-based craft brewery provides recipes for MiniBrew users to brew their beers at home.
- JopenminorDutch craft brewery provides recipes for MiniBrew users to brew their beers at home.
- BrewDogcoreScottish craft brewery giant provides recipes for MiniBrew users. BrewDog is one of the most recognized craft beer brands globally.
- Krummi BreweryminorIcelandic craft brewery developed the Icelandic Pale Ale recipe kit available on MiniBrew platform.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MiniBrew competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- iGulu: iGulu produces the F1, an automated smart home brewing machine that brews beer from single-use ingredient packs. Directly comparable to MiniBrew on hardware form factor, automated brewing approach, and consumables revenue model.
- BEERMKR: BEERMKR makes a connected countertop home brewing appliance with single-use ingredient packs and an app-controlled brewing process—closely mirroring MiniBrew's hardware-plus-consumables-plus-software model.
- PicoBrew: PicoBrew makes the Pico C and Z, fully automated countertop brewing appliances that produce small craft beer batches from pre-packured ingredient pods. Directly comparable to MiniBrew's CRAFT Gen 3 in product category, target customer, and DTC go-to-market approach.
- Brewie: Brewie (Hungarian startup) developed the Brewie+ automated home brewing machine, a directly comparable countertop appliance with similar mashing, boiling, and fermentation automation targeting hobbyist consumers.
Broad incumbents
- Northern Brewer: Northern Brewer is a large specialty retailer of home brewing equipment, ingredients, and kits. While not a hardware maker like MiniBrew, it competes for the same home-brewing consumer wallet share with traditional equipment plus consumable ingredient sales.
- Mr. Beer: Mr. Beer is a long-established home brewing kit brand offering entry-level two-stage brewing systems and ingredient refills. Comparable to MiniBrew in targeting home-brewing beginners but operates at a much lower price point and without automation.
- Williams Brewing: Williams Brewing is a long-established home brewing supplier offering traditional equipment, ingredients, and recipes. Comparable to MiniBrew as a destination for hobbyist home brewers, though focused on traditional non-automated equipment.
- Breville: Breville is a global premium kitchen appliance maker with products that overlap MiniBrew's positioning as a premium countertop food/beverage preparation device. Comparable as a benchmark for premium small-batch kitchen hardware brands, though not a direct brewing competitor.
Emerging players
- BrewArt: BrewArt (Australian) developed the BrewFlo and BrewDemon automated home brewing devices targeting craft beer hobbyists. Partial overlap with MiniBrew in automated countertop brewing but with different form factor and ingredient system.
- Alchema: Alchema makes a connected home brewing device for cider and mead with app-based recipe control. Partial overlap with MiniBrew's multi-beverage platform (cider capability) and smart appliance form factor, though targeting a more niche subset.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MiniBrew social profiles
Digital presenceMiniBrew financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MiniBrew leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
MiniBrew funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MiniBrew M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MiniBrew
What does MiniBrew do?
MiniBrew designs, manufactures, and sells the CRAFT Gen 3, an all-in-one automated home brewing machine that integrates a Base Station, Mash Tun, and pressurized Smart Keg into a single countertop appliance. The system automates mashing, boiling, chilling, fermentation, and carbonation, producing 6 liters of microbrewery-quality craft beer (or kombucha, cider, or seltzer) per batch in 3-30 days, monitored in real time via a browser. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales, recurring subscription tiers (Starter/Pro/Legend) for software and recipe access, recurring consumable recipe kit sales, accessories, and an optional extended warranty service (POM).
Is MiniBrew a public or private company?
MiniBrew is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was MiniBrew founded?
MiniBrew was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MiniBrew based?
MiniBrew is headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does MiniBrew make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are subscription Services, recipe Kits, peace of Mind Service (POM-Service) and accessories.
Who are MiniBrew's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are iGulu, BEERMKR, PicoBrew and Brewie. Broad incumbents are Northern Brewer, Mr. Beer, Williams Brewing and Breville. Emerging players are BrewArt and Alchema.
Does MiniBrew have an API?
No public API is recorded for MiniBrew.
What industry is MiniBrew in?
MiniBrew's product category is Home Brewing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFAAAA, Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing, with a secondary code of AFAFAHAE, Probiotic & Live-Culture Beverage Production (Shots, Tonics). Its NAICS code is 31212 and its SIC code is 2082.