Tennent’s owner handling distribution of Menabrea products
THE firm behind Tennent’s Lager and Magners is bringing beers from Italian brewery Menabrea to the Scottish trade under a new distribution deal.
C&C Group is handling the distribution and marketing of the beers, which are brewed in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, for the UK and Ireland markets in what it described as the “first significant” on-trade push for the beers in the UK.
Two variants of Menabrea have been introduced to the on-trade: Menabrea Bionda – a 4.8% ABV pale lager available in draught and packaged formats, and Menabrea Ambrata – a 5% ABV amber beer available in 330ml bottles.
C&C said it plans to promote the new beers through a series of ‘pop-up’ Italian cooking and beer pairing events as well as through brand ambassadors, social media activity, and the brand’s new English language website, which was launched by the firm on August 22.
Paul Condron, marketing director at C&C Group, said the firm has a “two-pronged” approach for the Menabrea launch, targeting “initially restaurants, but also I think there’s an opportunity for the beer in quality bars”.
“The good news for me is when we start to introduce the beer to Italian operators, many of them are familiar with the brand,” said Condron.
“The UK and Ireland are well-established markets for premium Italian beers. However, we understand consumers are increasingly interested in provenance, authenticity and experiencing new brands.”
Franco Thedy, managing director of Menabrea, said he is “confident that C&C Group will secure a significant following in the UK and Ireland for our authentic, well-crafted beer”.
