The Independent Brewers of Ireland was one of nine independent craft brewing associations that formed a new representative body, the Independent Brewers of Europe (IBE), as announced by The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).
The IBE aims to work together to promote and advance the mutual interests of their members with the European institutions and media, with representatives from France, Italy, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.
“We’re very pleased to see progress in establishing a much-needed voice for independent brewing organisations across Europe,” said Mike Benner, chief executive of SIBA.
“The craft beer revolution has spread across the continent and with well over 5,000 breweries the sector is well-placed to supply the diverse range of high-quality beers demanded by today’s discerning drinkers. We know that beer-drinkers in the UK care about the provenance of beers and it’s clear that the same applies across Europe.”
'Much-Needed Voice'
The new group will represent smaller, independent craft brewers, producing local, artisanal beers of quality and character with its member count approaching the two thousand mark.
The group, whose union was agreed in Brussels, intends to convey its message both politically and commercially in Europe, where smaller, independent producer’s voices are often not heard.
The new alliance hopes to be a central point of contact for the European institutions and to field representatives to make their case on issues of concern.
“Bonded by our independence I hope a strong and united voice will result from these early discussions. The European beer market remains dominated by global big beer, despite the swing in consumer demand to craft-brewed beer,” Benner added.
“As the UK’s exit from the EU draws closer I’m pleased that we will be able to work with groups similar to SIBA to the commercial benefit of our members, sharing best practice and ideas to help develop the sector for all.”
The 9 organisations are:
-Independent Brewers of Ireland.
-The Society of Independent Brewers, (SIBA) UK.
-Syndicat National des Brasseurs Indépendants, (SNBI) France.
-Unionbirrai, Italy.
-Scanian Beverage Producers, Sweden.
-Det Fri Øl, Denmark.
-Craft Brewers Netherlands.
-Czech and Moravian Microbreweries Association, Czech Republic.
-La Asociacion Española de Cerveceras Artesanas Independientes (AECAI).
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
