Sainsbury’s has announced the introduction of 32 new craft beers to the shelves of its 97 Scottish stores, bringing on board three small Scottish breweries - West Brewery, Tempest and Isle of Skye.
The addition of the new lines, 14 of which are first to market, adds to the already comprehensive offer, and means that Sainsbury’s now works with 21 Scottish breweries, offering more than 100 local beers and ciders, across various formats, to its Scottish customers.
Sainsbury’s has embraced the Scottish craft beer trend for some time and already works closely with 18 local breweries including Harviestoun, William Brothers and Cairngorm Brewery, all of whom will be launching brand new products with Sainsbury’s. These partnerships have seen the craft ale category within Sainsbury’s Scottish stores go from strength to strength, currently in double digit growth.
As this category continues to develop and grow in popularity, this has created opportunities for Sainsbury’s to work collaboratively with existing suppliers to extend the range of local ales, offering a wider choice and the chance to try products produced locally. These new additions will allow customers to choose from a wide array of beer styles, ranging from a chocolate and coffee stout, through to honey ales and grapefruit infused IPAs.
Kenny Webster, Managing Director of Isle of Skye Brewing, said, “The appetite for craft beers amongst consumers is growing rapidly. Customers want a beer with real character and they want to experiment with their purchases so Sainsbury’s commitment to stocking Scottish products is really encouraging and we’re proud to be a part of the announcement.
'At Isle of Skye Brewing we offer something truly unique, from the smooth taste of Skye Red to the creamy Skye Gold and our fruity Skye Blaven – all of which show strong growth year on year. Following wider trends seen in the food and drink market we know that provenance is really important to customers and craft beer is no exception.”
The new range will launch in store just in time for Scotland Food & Drink Fortnight, a nationwide celebration of Scotland’s produce and those that make it.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, Fergus Ewing MSP said, “The Scottish craft beer industry is booming, and the innovation across Scotland is great to see, with new high quality, premium products, coming to market all the time.
'As we get ready to shine a spotlight on Scotland’s larder during Scotland Food and Drink Fortnight, it’s fantastic to hear how supermarkets are increasing their range of craft beers, ales and ciders, working with local companies to help them expand their businesses and to provide a wider range of Scottish produce for consumers to enjoy responsibly.”
Scotland Food & Drink Chief Executive, James Withers added, 'Craft beer is a real star player in Scotland’s food and drink story just now. We’re about to kick off Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, so it is a great time to see Sainsbury’s - one of the biggest customers of Scottish produce - embracing the craft beer phenomenon.
'It feels like the number of Scottish independent breweries is growing every week. They’re producing a fantastic variety of beers for consumers increasingly looking for quality and variety. Scotland’s reputation as a Land of Food & Drink continues to strengthen and I expect our craft beer producers to make a huge contribution to this in the coming years.'