A new industry body to represent Scotland’s burgeoning independent brewing sector has been launched over a beer at the Scottish Parliament.
The Brewers’ Association of Scotland (TBAS) brings together eight of Scotland’s leading craft brewers to give a voice to a sector that has expanded exponentially in recent years.
The association will also establish quality standards for the artisan beer sector and attempt to provide a joined-up focus on market development, promotion and innovation.
The founder members of TBAS Cairngorm Brewery, Fyne Ales, Harviestoun, Innis & Gunn, Inveralmond Brewery, Stewart Brewing, WEST and Williams Bros gathered at the Scottish Parliament last night to toast the new association.
The event saw the launch of an industry-wide consultation aimed at determining the actual size of the craft beer market, and key growth objectives for the coming decade.
“The Scottish beer industry is thriving, and opportunities abound within Scotland and internationally,” said TBAS chairman Dougal Sharp, who is also chief executive of Edinburgh-based brewer Innis & Gunn.
“It is important to our sector, now more than ever, that we have an effective industry body to help us to achieve our individual business aspirations.
“Until now the industry has had no governing body in Scotland, whereas in other countries where there are similar associations the benefits of such a body are clear: more choice, greater levels of consumer awareness and understanding, high quality, higher growth and levels of business, all underpinned by targeted support from local governmental agencies.”
Scotland once supported 280 commercial breweries, but the industry fell into significant decline until a new craft beer scene emerged from a grass-roots movement in America.
It is estimated there are 80-90 independent breweries in Scotland, with TBAS members alone accounting for £30 million of sales and employing almost 250 staff.
Rural Affairs, Food and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said TBAS’s establishment was a milestone for a sector where more than 60% of operators had been in business for less than a decade.
“It is important that, as the sector expands, those working in this business understand how they can capitalize through collaboration to make the step changes to create strong, diverse businesses with national and global ambitions,” he said.