Incorporating Three Differently Branded Passport Programs into One App for Grow & Fortify

Grow & Fortify, the trade association representing Maryland’s value-added agricultural producers, wanted to replace its old-fashioned printed map of the state’s breweries, distilleries, and wineries with a digital solution that would offer the state’s visitors a more engaging way to learn about and enjoy Maryland’s craft beverages.

Client Overview

Grow & Fortify is an advocacy organization representing Maryland’s value-added agricultural producers, growers, and startups. Among its many responsibilities is supporting the trade associations representing the state’s wine, beer, and distilled spirits producers.

Challenge

For years, Grow & Fortify had distributed printed maps at Maryland’s visitors’ centers featuring the state’s breweries, wineries, and distilleries. But the maps were expensive to produce and became quickly outdated as the number of craft beverage producers continued to grow. As Maryland’s craft beverage scene continued to evolve—and visitors became increasingly dependent on their smartphones for information—Grow & Fortify realized it was time to upgrade the map into a mobile app.

Discovery

In its initial discussions with Grow & Fortify about their vision for their app, Daruma Tech learned that the wine, beer, and spirits trade associations each wanted to maintain their own distinct identities and branding on the app. This meant that instead of a single digital map and trail, Grow & Fortify needed three separate trails for beer, wine, and spirits.

Solution & Implementation

Daruma Tech’s Trail App platform offered a cost-effective way to incorporate the three trails and passport programs into a single app while keeping each distinct. This means dedicated beer lovers can follow the beer trail, see brewery events, and earn points on the beer passport—in short, they experience an app within an app. But if they want a change of pace, they can easily switch their viewing options to see and explore the wine and spirits options near them.

Results

Daruma Tech rebuilt the New York Craft Beer App to accommodate the two separate trails and their passport and incentive programs. The upgraded app also allows users to participate in both passport programs at once if they wish. This means app users now have access to over 460 participating breweries—including their locations, offerings on tap, and more—right on their phones.