Best of Monday Morning Radio: Growing a Niche Business by ‘Scaling the Smallness’

Monday Morning Radio

Peet’s Coffee & Tea, which will celebrate its 55th anniversary this year, has more than 200 retail outlets and is sold in more than 14,000 grocery stores across the United States.

The Boston Beer Company, whose best-known brew is Samuel Adams, was founded in 1984 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The company produces which produces beers, hard ciders, hard iced tea, spiked sparkling water, and high alcohol kombucha.

Peet’s and Boston Brewing share a lot in common.

Both companies began with a single visionary crafter. Both grew large by attracting a niche following of deeply loyal customers. And both saw fit, eventually, to ask Dave Burwick, a former executive at PepsiCo and Weight Watchers, to take charge of their businesses.

When host and award-winning journalist Dean Rotbart interviewed Dave back in May 2016, he was president and CEO of Peet’s, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary. Today, Dave runs the Boston Beer Company, also serving as president and CEO.

In both cases, Dave’s specialty, as he described it, is “scaling the smallness” — a method that allows businesses to remain true to their founding principles, while constantly keeping pace with the changing times.

Dave's is a recipe for growth and success that every entrepreneur should know.

Photo: Dave Burwick, Boston Beer CompanyOriginally Posted: May 9, 2016Best of Monday Morning Radio Update: January 18, 2021Monday Morning Run Time: 26:44