Brú Brewery Secures €200,000 Contract With SuperValu And Launches Exclusive New Gluten Free Craft Lager
SuperValu, the leading Irish grocery retailer, has announced that it contributes €2 million in sales to the Irish craft beer market each year. SuperValu also announced details of a €200,000 contract with Brú Brewery, which includes the exclusive rights for the Irish microbrewery’s new 500ml format gluten free lager that will be available in-store from November. The deal will enable the brewery to create three jobs.
Since Brú Brewery started trading with SuperValu in September 2013, the Irish microbrewer has doubled the amount of cases it supplies the grocery retailer each year. The company originally started in 2013 with two staff and now employs eight staff. It will now add three additional staff before the end of the year to meet growing demand. The latest contract comes after the Irish craft beer brewing company won three awards at the 2015 World Beer Awards.
The Irish craft beer market has grown rapidly over the past number of years due to consumers increasingly opting for premium beer brands. Over the past year alone over 400 new beers have been launched in Ireland. As part of its support for Irish suppliers, SuperValu identified the trend early and has supported a range of Irish microbreweries by stocking their brands in-store. As a result, SuperValu now holds 20% share of the Irish craft beer market and is outperforming the market, particularly in the ale category with a 66% year-on-year increase in sales.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Agriculture, Marine and Food, Simon Coveney TD, said: “Brú Brewery’s continued success reflects the huge potential of Ireland’s craft beer sector. Beyond the jobs created directly by Irish microbreweries, there are also additional knock-on benefits for the local economy and for farm families who supply locally sourced ingredients to companies like Brú Brewery. By giving Irish microbrewers like Brú Brewery the opportunity to grow sustainably, SuperValu is helping the Irish craft beer sector to build its reputation both domestically and abroad.”
Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, added: “We source Irish wherever possible, which equates to an annual contribution of almost €2 billion to the economy. We’re delighted to support this emerging sector and help Irish microbreweries grow, particularly as we are able to offer them the opportunity to supply to individual stores given our local ownership structure. That’s why we support over 2,200 Irish suppliers, which is over four times more than any of the international retailers, putting more back into the local economy and creating jobs like the three new positions at Brú Brewery”
David O’Hare, co-founder of Brú Brewery, said: “We are delighted that our partnership with SuperValu continues to grow. They have been fantastic to work with over the past two years and it is great that we can create three new jobs as a result of this deal. SuperValu is the biggest supporter of the Irish craft beer market amongst the grocery retailer and their support is enabling us and other microbreweries to thrive. Today’s milestone reflects the hard work of everyone on our team and we plan on going from strength to strength into 2016.”
SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and has 223 stores nationwide. 75% of everything on SuperValu’s shelves is sourced or produced in Ireland. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible and purchases almost €2 billion worth of goods from Irish suppliers, which helps sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.
