Is New Zealand the craft beer capital of the world? Judging by the growing amount of interest in our keg cabinet range (also known as kegerators for craft beer novices) it could well be. And the statistics seem to back that up as well.
A couple of years ago, a study found that the craft beer market in New Zealand had tripled in the last five years, with the volume being produced increasing by 21% in that time. At that stage, New Zealand’s beer industry was worth $2.3 billion and made up of 218 breweries, according to a report by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. That equates to a staggering 4.6 breweries for every 100,000 people in the country! Yes, it’s no surprise to learn that’s more breweries per capita than anywhere else in the world, including the United States, Germany and other beer powerhouses.
The craft beer market has been growing exponentially since 2008 and it is now calculated that it represents 10% of all beer sales. That number continues to grow, of course, as more Kiwis develop a taste for craft beer. This trend is being reflected in an increasing number of hospitality outlets that now devote more of their beer taps to craft brews rather than the traditional commercially produced ones that dominated the market from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Because much of the craft beer now being sold in New Zealand bars and pubs is produced by boutique breweries, it doesn’t have a lot of the additives and preservatives we usually associate with large-batch brewing. As such, it needs to be kept fresh while it is being stored and consumed, and at a constant temperature. Craft beer drinkers are a fussy lot and know the difference between a good drop and an inferior one, and this is why upgrading and expanding your beer storage is so important.
If you’re in the hospitality industry and hoping to cash in on the craze for crafty drops, you’ll be keen to serve the best product you can. To achieve that, you need keg cabinets that are dependable, easy to access so the constant changing of kegs is not a hassle, and you want the perfect temperature at all times. Old fashioned beer storage options might not give you all of those benefits, so we suggest you contact us at Honar and ask about our products and impeccable backup service. The demand for craft beer presents you with a golden commercial opportunity, but you require the very best storage to keep those crafty Kiwis happy.