The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Crafting out a new market
What do you think about when ordering a drink at the bar or picking up a carry-out at the local off-licence?
Is it simply a case of buying what you always have or do your horizons go wider?
The multi-million-pound craft drinks industry depends on the latter.
It relies on persuading drinkers to try something new and capturing and firing their interest when they do.
The most obvious example of a Scottish craft brewer done good is BrewDog. As a company, its core business is the making, buying and selling of beer – nothing more, nothing less.
It has not – and will not – reinvent the wheel, but what it has done is disrupt the established beer market by creating a brand that sets it apart from the pack.
It’s made more noise than its competitors, it’s stood up to bureaucracy, it’s explored nontraditional online funding models to support its growth and it’s been aggressive in pursuit of its goals.
And, most importantly, it’s built a loyal following along the way.
While BrewDog now sits among the big boys, the wider craft movement is dominated by smaller, growing companies that have brought a muchneeded freshness and injection of life into the UK drinks industry.
This month’s Business Matters magazine is dedicated to the rise and rise over the past decade of the craft drinks sector in Tayside and Fife.
While all different, the companies we encountered all have a common thread – a passion for their product, the ingredients they use to create them, an inventive marketing strategy and a drive to put this region on the craft drinks map.
In addition, the September edition of Business Matters has all the regular news and views from our top-quality columnists and contributors. Enjoy.
The multimillionpound craft drinks industry depends on persuading drinkers to try something new and capturing and firing their interest when they do