Scottish brewers cross the pond to promote their products
A DELEGATION of Scottish craft brewers embarked on a mission to North America to raise awareness of their beers this month.
Representatives from ten companies travelled to the north east of America for the five-day “learning journey” which visited Boston, USA, and Toronto, Canada.
Led by Scottish Development International (SDI), the trip provided access to brewers, industry experts, buyers and importers who could offer advice on breaking into the market.
The group included representatives from West Brewery, Loch Ness Brewery, Loch Lomond Brewery, WooHa Brewing Company, Eden Brewery of St Andrews, Fyne Ales, Crawcraft, Thistly Cross Cider Co, The Craft Beer Clan of Scotland and Spey Valley Brewery.
SDI said North America is an important target market for Scottish craft producers and interest from global markets is high following the success of Scottish firms such as Brewdog, Innis & Gunn and Harviestoun Brewery.
The trade trip included visits to Harpoon Brewery and Samuel Adams brewery in Boston, as well as meetings with retailers, distributors and importers, the US Craft Brewers Association and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
The group also attended the Ontario Craft Brewers third annual conference.
Susan Beattie, head of food and drink at SDI, said the mission hoped to capitalise on the craft beer industry’s success by focusing on 15 key export markets.
“The Scotland Food and Drink Export Plan identified North America as a priority market for Scottish producers and highlighted the need to build relationships with key trade contacts and raise awareness of Scottish capabilities in this market,” she said.
“We have developed this programme to equip these companies with the knowledge and skills to effectively target the North American market and take advantage of growing consumer demand for Scottish produce.”
