Rye River to distribute Bavaria
Rye River has partnered up with the Swinkels family, independent brewers of Bavaria and the Netherlands second-largest brewer. Following the signing of a long-term agreement Rye River will distribute the beer in tandem with its own McGargles range of craft beers.
Bavaria brewery has been run by the same family for seven generations and also produces its own no-alcohol beer.
With premium lagers declining by 3% year-on-year, Niall Phelan, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Rye River Brewing Company, believes, “The agreement is set to see this value beer increase its position to once again become the fifth-largest beer brand in the Irish market.
“We believe there’s a great synergy between both our brands and with customers continuing to change the way they spend, even with an increase in disposable income, value lagers are set to continue growing year-on-year.
“As a fast-growing and energetic Irish business we’ve the potential to grow Bavaria in the market and gain back significant share through our unique vision, experience and commitment.
“We work in partnership with good wholesalers across the country. We believe the wholesale network is the key to healthy growth in Ireland. It has been the backbone of the drinks industry for over 100 years. While other companies are slowly disengaging with wholesalers, we plan to increase our sales through the wholesale network and to work closely with our wholesale partners to support the pubs, restaurants and off-premise outlets across Ireland,” he continued.
Frank Swinkels, Chief Financial Officer of Bavaria NV, explained his own company’s take on the partnership. “What we needed is a challenging distributor who’s prepared to disrupt the market by creating positive waves and extolling the value proposition Bavaria offers to the Irish market,” he explained.
