A product of quality, proximity and backbone Of the territory; a different drink from the market offer of beer, but that does not escape the impact of the coronavirus. Above all, because bars and restaurants have long been planted with the public. The craft beer in crisis is suffering very severely with More than 500 factories Throughout the Spanish territory. Its production, which last year reached 275.000 hectoliters, may not be able to recover after the pandemic and lead to the closure of a large part of the national business. What challenges do you face now? How can you reinvent yourself? Attentive!
The commercialization of this beer
Currently, the entire craft beer sector is directly and indirectly employing more than twenty thousand people. In recent years, following the world trend, it has managed to reach a 2% of the Spanish beer market. It has also helped increase the culture of this drink and hundreds of ferias throughout the country that have energized their territory where it is produced.
Before the pandemic, the merchandising of this beer was made using mainly, the channel of the hostelry. In many cases they are establishments of the same factory that, by achieving a higher economic margin, served to consolidate the business. With the lockdown, these sales have fallen and factory closures have been inevitable. For the same reason, the sale in specialized stores it has been affected by being closed to customers.
Few brands had managed to consolidate in the market of big surfaces, that have given more space to industrial beer offer claiming that the public has prioritized the price. Right now, the sale online it has timidly managed to save the situation for companies that already had the channel open. With exciting offers and the shuttle service home, they have had some income.
Challenges of craft beer in crisis
For after confinement and even right now in the de-escalation process another great straight. Industrial breweries have had a great profit drop, since its main channel is also the hospitality industry and they have started support campaigns for bars and restaurants. The brewery Mahou San Miguel with the campaign "Now more than ever" and Heineken with #ForceBar they support their clients to protect their market. In the first case, Mahou will invest more than 75 million euros. For its part, Heineken will provide 15 million free rods to its customers on this channel. In addition, with a very adverse economic environment, it is possible that customers prioritize the price before quality. Also the foreseeable drop in tourism and, therefore, its consumption, will also have a very negative impact.
So it is in these moments that we must be aware of everything that is behind the craft beer in crisis now. Value your more than ever quality, the great diversity of types that they offer us, or that the vast majority are local and sustainable beers. It is time not to forget that they have generated culture, wealth and work in many territories. For all this and for the love that the producers put to the product,save this craft beer!
