BrewDog has announced it will establish a brewery in Australia next year.
The founders of the phenomenally successful craft beer brand, James Watt and Martin Dickie, revealed: “We’re after a kick-ass location for our brewhouse, and are narrowing our eyes on two areas on the east coast growing at lightning speed – Newcastle and Brisbane. We love the vibe of these cities and think either would be perfect for a BrewDog brewery/brewpub.”
BrewDog is looking to either redevelop an existing industrial site with a new 2000–4000m² facility or build its own, although it would prefer to promote urban renewal or transformation.
Newcastle Beer Fest organiser Luke Tilse told The Newcastle Herald he wasn’t surprised that the “massive” company was considering a set-up in Newcastle because the city had a well-established reputation for supporting the craft beer industry.
“If you don’t have craft beer on tap in Newcastle, you’re crazy. Every venue generally has at least a couple of taps that are independent craft beers,” he said.
“It’s got to be good for the economy. The craft beer industry in Newcastle actually creates jobs. If you’ve got heaps of different craft breweries, everyone has their own brewer, everyone’s got their own freight company, everyone’s got their own distribution. It’s an inefficient process, which creates heaps more employment for the local area.”
The woman leading the site search
Former HR director – and Aussie – Zarah Prior has been appointed to identify potential locations.
“We’re hugely excited to welcome Zarah Prior back into the BrewDog family to spearhead our exploration of her home country,” said Watt and Dickie. “She will be hitting the streets of her native Oz in search of our new home. If you know of somewhere that fits the bill below – drop her an email on zarah@brewdog.com!”
The independent brewery will use the company’s existing shareholder community in Australia – the crowdfunding Equity Punk online forum – to help identify a suitable council, and navigate local planning and legislative hurdles.
“What is non-negotiable is finding the right community where BrewDog’s hardcore values and Punk attitude will be fully embraced,” Prior told The Morning Advertiser. “Since BrewDog was born, we’ve been on a mission to make other people as passionate about amazing craft beer as we are. Now, we’re bringing that ethos all the way across the other side of the planet, to Oz.”
Since launching its first crowdfunding initiative eight years ago, the brewery has established a investor community of more than 55,000 people globally, who have collectively invested more than £40million in the brand.
The company has been valued at more than £1billion, after US private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners bought a 22% stake in the brewery in April for £213million. It’s sales rose a whopping 61% in 2016 to £71.8million.
The Australian brewery will be the third BrewDog has opened after its Scottish headquarters and a second brewery that recently opened in the US.
