Hilden Brewery has secured an export first by winning an order to supply its products to the world’s biggest beer drinking country. A full range of Hilden’s bottled beer is to be shipped to a major distributor in the Czech Republic, following a successful Invest NI Trade mission in June.
The founder of Hilden Brewery, Seamus Scullion, said the company was confident that the initial order would lay the foundation for a successful marketing and sales campaign. “Our objective is designed at helping fill the growing demand for niche beers in the Czech Republic. Beer drinking is an ingrained part of everyday life in the country. The per capita consumption on an annual basis is estimated to be around 156 litres’. “Czechs have been drinking beer for more than a millennium. It has led to a rapid expansion in the numbers of small microbreweries since the fall of communism. The market however is still dominated by a handful of major brewers servicing a huge demand for Pils beer, both locally and in terms of the exports sphere. “But young people in particular have made it clear through a number of consumer surveys that they want the opportunity to sample alternatives to the country’s traditional products. And we feel that the quality of our Hilden products, and the fact that it provides a full flavoured alternative to the Czech brands on offer will prove to be a winning combination” Mr. Scullion said. The Czech Republic operation is the first phase of an ambitious European wide export strategy by Ireland’s longest established independent brewing company. Hilden Brewery said the appointment of JASO as its Czech Republic based distributor was a key element in the brewery’s expansion plans for the European market.
