Vocation Brewery has reversed a decision to continue shipping beer to Israel after consumer backlash.
After initially defending its right to export to Israel, Vocation Brewery subsequently u-turned and said it would cease exports to the country “with immediate effect”.
“We value the feedback we receive and have decided to cease exports of our beer to Israel with immediate effect,” the brewery said on social media. “A small volume of existing stock may continue to be sold in the country in the near future, however, we won’t be making any new shipments to Israel. Thanks again for sharing your feedback.”
The decision comes after the craft brewer was criticised by pro-Palestinian activists for supplying an alcoholic drinks importer and nano-brewery in Be’er Sheva, southern Israel.
Posting on Reddit, a member of the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions Movement (BDS) called for Vocation and its bars “to be added to any boycott lists”.
Vocation had hosted a delegation from Israel at its brewery and was using the brewery in Be’er Sheva “as a base for importing their beverages to Israel”, the BDS activist claimed.
Vocation Brewery confirmed it had worked with the Israeli importer “in recent months” and hosted its employees at its brewery in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, “as part of a wider trip”.
“The importer buys and sells a range of beverages from different drinks companies around the world, which they may choose to resell,” a spokeswoman for the brewery told The Grocer. “We export to them much in the same way as our sales to other businesses internationally.
“Exporting to businesses around the globe involves a lot of different considerations and we always take the time to think carefully about varying factors,” she added.
Vault City, another UK brewer to have previously worked with the same importer, said it had stopped exporting to Israel “some time ago”.
“We’ve had no further commercial relationship with that brewery or any other business in Israel since,” a spokesman confirmed.
No comments yet