FOOD and drink export specialist Stephen Noblett toasts Bradford district brewers and explains how their craft beers are going down a treat abroad – to mark International Beer Day

INTERNATIONAL Beer Day – August 2 –is a diary date that all Bradford brewers can raise a glass to, especially as British beer increasingly appeals to overseas consumers.

From January to May this year the UK exported £114.4 million worth of beer to countries outside the EU; that’s a 4% increase on the same period in 2018, with Bradford breweries tapping into the international opportunity too.

Saltaire Brewery is one local brewer that has export orders pouring in. The Shipley-based independent brewhouse has sold an impressive 125,000 pints outside of the UK in 2019 so far. Its beers are sold in 15 overseas markets including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. Its Triple Choc and IPA beers have become a hit with drinkers looking for unconventional beers.

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As part of its international expansion, Saltaire has developed a jointly-brewed beer with New England brewer Lone Pine USA that is being sold in the UK and the US. The breweries met at the Maine Brewers’ Guild’s International Beer Festival, which Saltaire attended as part of a Food is GREAT organised trade mission to the state of Maine.

The Food is GREAT campaign from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade (DIT) offers a wealth of support to help British producers successfully enter new international markets and showcases British food and drink abroad.

The collaboration is just one initiative that demonstrates the growing global interest in the UK’s craft beer industry – not just from consumers, but from breweries themselves. West Yorkshire breweries in particular, are thoroughly capitalising on the international opportunity.

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Nearby brew houses like Ilkley Brewery, Northern Monk and North Brewing Co are all benefitting from exporting to countries such as the US and China too, where demand for UK brewed beer is on the rise.

Ilkley Brewery, for example, has sold its Yorkshire-brewed beer to bars in the United States. Meanwhile, Leeds-based brewer North Brewing Co, secured £96,000 worth of orders from Chinese customers last year, after attending the Food & Hotel China trade mission with the Food is GREAT campaign.

Each brewery’s success outlines the opportunities for local SME brewers to take on large overseas markets. It also shows that you don’t have to be a brewing giant to access the likes of the USA.

But while exporting offers lucrative opportunities for breweries, there are several factors they must consider before sending their beers overseas.

The perfect pour for the US and China:

When exporting alcohol, it’s important that businesses familiarise themselves with local standards and regulations, particularly when exporting to highly-regulated markets, such as China and the US.

Food and drink exported to China must be correctly labelled in Chinese, with the country of origin, the name and address of the Chinese distributor, weight, ingredients, date of production and expiry date. Products must also be approved by China’s Inspection and Quarantine agency before they reach the shelves.

In the US, ‘best before’ labels will need to be written with the month first and the date second. A small detail, but one that could have a detrimental effect on the success of a product in the US. Producers should also be aware of the varying legal requirements from state to state and ensure that their products have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before exporting.

Getting ahead of the game

This International Beer Day, we want breweries from across West Yorkshire to get in touch to see how we can help them to kickstart their exporting journey.

DIT has a team of experienced International Trade Advisers based across Yorkshire and the Humber on hand to assist ambitious businesses that want to start or develop their export strategy.

Breweries and firms in Yorkshire and the Humber looking for exporting support should contact DIT on 0300 365 1000 or email yorkshire@mobile.trade.gov.uk .

Stephen Noblett is an International Trade Adviser and Food & Drink Sector Specialist for Yorkshire and the Humber at the Department for International Trade