Co-op has revamped its beer and RTD cocktail offer with an added emphasis on UK craft beer.
The convenience retailer’s range now features exclusive beer offerings from seven independent craft breweries available nationwide.
New and excusive additions include tipples from Lakes Brew Co – a Kendal-based brewery known for “progressive and modern” beers, and Boundary Brewing – a co-operative brewery from Belfast.
The range would rotate and change throughout the year “enabling shoppers the opportunity to discover fresh brews and new styles”, said Co-op.
Initially it comprises: Polly’s Brew Co Saxo Edit (rsp: £3.70/440ml), Vault City Orange Creamsicle (£3.25/440ml), Lakes Brew Co NZ Hazy Pale Ale (£4.20/440ml), Fierce Beer West Coast IPA (£3.25/440ml), Full Circle Brew Co Lunar Lander (£3.25/440ml), Boundary Brewing Co-op Kindred Pale Ale (£4.00/440ml), and – exclusive to Scotland stores – Six Degrees North Raspberry Fruit Beer (£3.35/440ml).
The UK had a “diverse tapestry” of brewers, many of which were not well represented in the mults, said Co-op beer buyer Andrew Birdsey. “With this project we wanted to work out how we could work sustainably with those brewers while also broadening the appeal of our beer offering.
“The number one kind of thing we wanted to achieve was sustainability. We don’t want to tip any beer away, or be left with cans that have a finite amount of time on shelf. Equally, we don’t want the brewers to be left with products they can’t sell.
“It’s about us having a constant conversation between the breweries and the Co-op to work out what is sustainable and feasible, and what [beer] we’re going to move to next.”
Own-label ale collaboration
Co-op has also collaborated with Fyne Ales and Robinsons to launch a brand new own-label brew called Co-op’s Munro Pale Ale (rsp: £2.50/500ml).
Munro Pale ale was an interpretation of a Mountain IPA style and offered “bursts of citrus and tropical fruit aromas, with a clean and refreshing finish”, said the retailer. The beer will be in stores throughout the summer before switching to a winter style later in the year.
In total, 86 new SKUs have been added across the beer and RTD fixture, although not all will be available in all stores.
They also include exclusive listings such as BrewDog Fruit Burst (£6/4x330ml) and Toast Brewing and Tiny Rebel Hazy Pale (£3.25/440ml) – a collaboration beer brewed from surplus bakery bread.
New RTDs, meanwhile, include a quartet of own-label canned cocktails (£1.50/250ml), as well as Moth’s Pina Colada and Passion Fruit Martini cans (rsps: £4/125-200ml) and Duppy Share Pink Ting-a-ling (rsp: £2.60/250ml).
No comments yet