Export boost for Black Country brewery.
Craft beer from the Black Country will soon be served in bars in Finland after award-winning craft brewery Sadler’s Ales won its first major exporting deal.
The Lye-based brewer will be shipping thousands of bottles of its Hop Bomb and Red Ale IPA over the next 12 months as it looks to ramp up its overseas business, following a UK Trade & Investment trip to Latvia in November last year.
Ian King, sales director, said the three-day Export Insight Visit has proven to be an exciting catalyst for new business opportunities and markets. As well as exporting to Finland, it is also in advanced talks with sales distributors in Norway and Sweden, after the opportunities were spotted by Paul Keeling, the company’s UKTI international trade adviser. Ian said:“It’s an exciting time for the brewery and we are very pleased to be in the process of sending our first major consignment of beers to Finland, which will be sold in retail stores and bars across the country.
“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work by the team here but we are confident about the quality of our beers and are determined to get our brand known in as many territories as possible. We’ve been looking at the possibilities of exporting for a while and the trip to Latvia last year put us on a firm footing. UKTI has helped us to really focus on building our overseas market, so we’d recommend any business to see what they can achieve overseas.”
Paul Keeling, UKTI international trade adviser in the Black Country, added: “Sadler’s Ales is a very dynamic and enthusiastic company that is keen to explore as many export opportunities as it can. We’ve been working with the brewery for a few months now, offering support and guidance, and it is now starting to reap the rewards.”
Businesses across the West Midlands who have yet to start exporting have the chance to explore the overseas opportunities during UKTI’s Exporting is GREAT Week, which takes place between April 18 and 22. The main event – the Global Opportunities Summit – aims to inspire the next generation of new exporters from the West Midlands region.
Taking place at the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, the free event on April 21st will see Fraser Doherty, founder of SuperJam, and Will Butler-Adams, the CEO of Brompton Bikes, reveal how their businesses have become global successes.
Emma Jones, the founder of small business support network Enterprise Nation and government Business Ambassador on international trade, will also be offering advice to first-time exporters.
Visitors to the Global Opportunities Summit will be able to find out about the thousands of live export opportunities that are available, and talk to Virgin Business Enterprise Support about start-up financing. Microsoft Gold Partner Warwick-based Zen Zero will also be at the event, demonstrating its app-building software and new devices.
The Global Opportunities Summit on April 21st is free to attend. To register, go to: globalopportunitiessummit.eventbrite.co.uk/
To find out what other events are taking place across the region during Exporting is GREAT Week, visit: www.exportweek.ukti.gov.uk/