Minister Graham Stuart has welcomed the growing success of British brewers to mark International Beer day, with celebrations taking place in pubs, breweries, and backyards all over the world.
In recent years, British beer sales have boomed, with a growing demand from drinkers across the world.
British beer exports totalled £526m in 2017, with 570million litres of beer or 1.1billion pints shipped to other countries, with the USA, Ireland, France, China and Canada being the most popular markets.
Wisbech-based Elgood’s Brewery, for example, are set to double their international sales over the next 12 months by tapping into the global demand for high-quality British beer.
To help the business win contracts, the Department for International Trade introduced the company to potential buyers from Argentina at a ‘Meet the Buyer’ event as part of the Exporting is GREAT campaign.
Thanks to a distribution deal in Argentina, the business will export an additional 20,000 pints of beer over the next year. Founded over 200 years ago, the family business only started selling its products overseas three years ago.
Trade Minister Graham Stuart, said: “British beer is proving a huge success, with sales growing exponentially in recent years with a thirst from countries such as China and Argentina.
“I am determined that the Department for International Trade plays our role in supporting British Brewers export more across the world, to meet rising global demand so more consumers can enjoy high quality British beer.”
Marcus Beecher, sales director at Elgood’s Brewery, said: “We’re still relatively new to exporting and international orders only make up a small percentage of our sales.
“But this is an area of our business we’re looking to grow as we’ve already really felt the benefits that overseas trade can bring.
“We’re aiming to have our beers in Argentina in the next six months and our next target market is to expand in Asia, particularly Japan.
“Exporting can be a big commitment for smaller firms like ours, which is where the help of expert organisations like DIT can really come in handy.”
Chair of Campaign for Real Ale, Jackie Parker, added: “Great beer has always been a staple of British culture and is an incredibly popular export worldwide.
“With over 2,000 breweries around the country, there is even more choice than ever before in Britain - from hoppy IPAs to creamy porters and stouts.
“We welcome the Government’s commitment to support British brewers export their brews, which will further help the industry.”
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