Brewery Hops on Russian Export Juggernaut
Inveralmond Brewery, an independent brewer of craft beers based in Perth, has signed a deal with Russian distribution company Elizabet to export four of their most popular beers to Russia.
The deal will see Lia Fail, Ossian, Thrappledouser and Blackfriars take a five day journey by land and sea to quench the thirst for international beers in an ever-expanding Baltic market, one of the UK’s fastest-growing export markets and the third-largest export market outside Europe and North America.
Assisted by Scottish Development International in establishing the trade, Inveralmond Brewery is the latest Scottish food and drink producer to join a growing Russian export market and is expected to see sales rise as a direct result.
Until very recently Russia had considered beer a “soft” drink, or more specifically a “foodstuff”, as it fell below the 10% alcohol limits until Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a bill, which came into effect in January 2012, that now officially classifies beer as alcoholic.
Soaring in popularity in recent years, with Russian beer sales rising by more than 40%, the product is frequently marketed to Russians as a healthier alternative to spirits.
Inveralmond Brewery has made several significant announcements in recent weeks signalling growth, including the appointment of Andy Agnew to its Board of Directors, former Kopparberg account manager Phil Kilpatrick to the role of Business Development Manager and a UK distribution deal with PLB. The Russian distribution deal is the latest development in the company’s planned growth strategy and is expected to add considerable strength to the Brewery’s international exports.
Bob Hogg, Commercial Director of The Inveralmond Brewery, commented
“We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Elizabet on the distribution of our products to the Russian market. Russia is a vast country and logistical distribution is key to long term success. Russia has demonstrated affinity with many Scottish products including whisky, Scottish salmon and now beer.
“We are particularly grateful to the support from Scottish Development International in helping this deal come to fruition, their expertise and knowledge in guiding us into this market has been invaluable.”
Vladislav Efimov from Elizabet commented:
“We are delighted to be representing The Inveralmond Brewery in Russia and look forward to delivering their products throughout our distribution network. We view Scottish beer as a high quality product and expect the Russian market to respond extremely favourably to Inveralmond Brewery beers. “
Audrey Leng from SDI commented on the importance of the deal:
“The Inveralmond Brewery’s portfolio of high quality Scottish craft beers are a popular choice for the Russian market and we’re delighted we could assist them in exporting their products to this very important market. The deal will inevitably result in growing reach of the Brewery’s portfolio internationally, and we hope this will translate into jobs and further commercial growth back home in Scotland.’
