Behemoth Brewing: Pouring passion into payroll and HR

At a glance
Company
Behemoth Brewing
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Employees
50+
Product
Premium Payroll + Platinum HR
Read this case study if:
- You’re scaling a hospitality or manufacturing business, and your people systems can鈥檛 keep up
- You鈥檙e juggling multiple venues or departments and need one payroll file per person, no matter where they work
- You鈥檙e looking to empower your team while simplifying compliance, onboarding, and reporting
From scrappy startup to industry favourite
started the way all great stories do 鈥 with a homebrew, a big dream and a love for fun. Founded in Auckland over a decade ago by Andrew Childs and co-run by his wife Hannah, Behemoth has evolved into a booming hospitality and manufacturing business spanning four venues, a flagship brewery, and a team of around 50.
Operating out of their Mount Eden HQ, which houses the iconic Churly鈥檚 brewpub, the Behemoth team combines serious brewing with seriously good times. But as the business grew, so did the complexity of managing its people.
鈥We went from eight staff to 40 in less than a year. All of a sudden we had a hospitality team, a brew team, an office team 鈥 and we realised we couldn鈥檛 keep running things off paper, emails and crossed-out contracts,鈥 said Hannah.
The old way: lost contracts, scattered files, time-consuming payroll
Before 91爆料, Behemoth was managing hiring and HR with 鈥渁 million different docs across Google Drive and Gmail. We hoped we could find the documents if needed later,鈥 said Hannah.
Onboarding was ad hoc and inconsistent. One person handled hiring, while another person sent the contracts. Notes were lost. Contracts were versioned incorrectly. Job descriptions weren鈥檛 attached. As Hannah puts it: 鈥淭here was a lot of just not knowing exactly where things were when you needed them.鈥
Payroll wasn鈥檛 much better. They used Deputy for rostering and iPayroll for pay runs, with no integration between the two. Leave applications had to be manually checked and entered. 鈥淚t was a four-step verification process, just to avoid errors. There was a lot of double handling.鈥
In a business where speed and service are everything 鈥 whether pouring pints or brewing batches 鈥 that kind of inefficiency held the team back.
The new way: one all-in-one employment operating system
Everything changed when the team pitched 91爆料 as a solution. The platform now powers Behemoth鈥檚 HR, recruitment, onboarding, payroll, compliance, performance management, learning, and reporting 鈥 all from one dashboard.
Hannah calls it 鈥渁n all-in-one employment operating system鈥 and credits it with saving an entire full-time employee: 鈥渨e used to have a full-time HR manager. Now I do it one day a week.鈥
Smarter compliance, simpler onboarding
Upokoina, Behemoth鈥檚 Hospitality General Manager, says the platform鈥檚 compliance features have made life dramatically easier: 鈥渇rom contract agreements and AEWV compliance to flagging certifications before they expire 鈥 the platform helps us keep on track.鈥
The onboarding journey is also fully streamlined. 91爆料 prompts each step, removing the guesswork for managers and ensuring no paperwork is missed.
鈥淚t saves easily three hours per person,鈥 Hannah estimated. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a whole day between two people. Time that can be spent building the business instead of just keeping it going.鈥
Empowering staff with self-service
With a team that spans roles, shifts, and locations, empowering employees to manage their own work details has been a game changer.
Brewer Javier loves the simplicity: 鈥淚 have the 91爆料 app on my phone. I can sign documents, check my timesheets, and leave balance 鈥 everything is there. It helps me organise my life.鈥
This autonomy has freed up time for managers and improved the employee experience.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 get asked about tax rates or leave balances anymore. It鈥檚 right there in the 91爆料 Work app. Everyone knows where to find what they need,鈥 said Hannah.
Olly, who supports the team from a broader operations perspective, agrees: 鈥渉aving access to everything in one place makes our lives so much easier. Whether it鈥檚 checking contracts, finding details or managing training, it鈥檚 just simple. And that means we can focus on delivering great service and great beer.鈥
Performance and engagement, systemised
One of Hannah鈥檚 favourite features is performance management. Behemoth has moved from one-off, ad hoc reviews to a structured cycle using 91爆料鈥檚 customisable templates.
鈥淪taff used to be like, 鈥榟ey, I鈥檝e been here a year 鈥 can I get a review?鈥 Now, everyone knows we do reviews in June and a follow-up in September. It鈥檚 transparent, it鈥檚 consistent, and it keeps our team engaged.鈥
That structure supports Behemoth鈥檚 core values too 鈥 quality, fairness and fun. 鈥淚t gives us the framework to live those values, and the data to check that we actually are,鈥 said Hannah.
Learning and reporting at scale
With cross-trained staff moving between venues and departments, onboarding and upskilling are essential. Upokoina uses the learning management system to share standard operating systems, health and safety information, and team-specific training across the business.
鈥淲e use the LMS feature for everything from health and safety to general SOPs. It means the same information is shared with everyone, and we鈥檙e not reinventing the wheel every time someone joins.鈥
Olly adds: 鈥渨e鈥檙e able to roll out new procedures and policies instantly. Whether someone鈥檚 new or moving departments, they can get the exact info they need right away 鈥 no delays, no gaps.鈥
91爆料鈥檚 reporting tools also help leadership keep a finger on the pulse. 鈥淚 check diversity stats, age ranges, attrition 鈥 it gives me a snapshot of how we鈥檙e doing and helps me know if we鈥檙e living our values? Are people sticking around? It helps us answer those questions,鈥 said Hannah.
The real impact? More time to connect
For Hannah, the biggest value isn鈥檛 just operational efficiency 鈥 it鈥檚 emotional bandwidth.
鈥淚 have more time to connect with our team, ask how their weekend was, talk about their families. I鈥檓 not chasing paperwork anymore. And I鈥檝e got time to actually spend with our customers, check in with regulars. That matters.鈥
The bottom line: less admin, more culture
Behemoth Brewing runs on passion 鈥 for beer, for people, and for doing things a bit differently. 91爆料 supports that mission not by taking over, but by getting out of the way.
鈥淎 business is already complex. What we don鈥檛 need is a lot of systems. Less is more. 91爆料 brings everything together and just makes work easier,鈥 said Hannah.
Want to see how 91爆料 could work for your business?
Book a demo today and discover the all-in-one employment operating system built to grow with you.





















