Tuatara launches high-tech taproom at Brewtown

DB has launched a New Zealand-first taproom experience with Tuatara that offers an instant consumer feedback loop and will use data insights and AI to elevate customer service.

The new taproom in  Brewtown, Upper Hutt will be home to what has been dubbed the unofficial “DB Hospo Lab”.  

The first-of-its-kind test lab will be used to trial new DB products produced at the Tuatara  brewery through an innovative consumer feedback loop. It will also house a new technology ecosystem trialling how data, AI, and smart hardware can reshape service, profitability, and customer experience.  

Customers will be able to scan and evaluate each drink immediately, with a leaderboard to show the most popular beverage at that time. This will then be fed back to the innovation team at the brewery as they adjust the products for scaling.  

Digital tap badges will also be trialled that can show not only the drink and brand name, but the taste profile, and have the ability to play videos/animations or have real time data (like the score of a game, or the temperature outside for example).  

In a New Zealand-first trial, the Tuatara taproom will also use a piece of hardware that acts as a sensor between the keg and tap to track pour volumes, times, servicing needs, and variables like temperature.

This data lets staff check they are pouring the right amount, that the quality is high, and also feeds into AI that can combine this data with other inputs (like what music is playing at the time, the weather, how busy the venue is, lighting levels etc.) to make smart suggestions about how to improve sales.    

Dick Stevens, Digital and Technology Director at DB Breweries, says: “We’re redefining how customers can give feedback on what they are drinking, and how this feeds into our innovation process... it’s a live, data-driven experience that turns tasting into a game-changer for innovation in the drinks industry.

“The hospitality industry has been largely doing it tough since COVID, and technology isn’t always helping as it should... simple tasks such as planning for stock levels, or how many staff needed each day, is hard. We believe that having good data insights is the way of the future, and are launching the unofficial DB Hospo Lab to help gather these insights for our partners.

“The unofficial DB Hospo Lab will help redefine product innovation and will test a full-stack rethink of hospitality operations to ultimately help refocus on elevating service, while saving time and money as well,” says Stevens.

In another New Zealand-first trial, the taproom will also test a retail-grade POS system that can deliver data-powered real-time customer insights to staff.

W: Visit the Tuatara taproom online here