Ravenhill Brewery has faced many challenges since the pandemic but is looking to it’s Yorkshire roots to reinvent itself and the range it offers.
Craft breweries which started in the 1970’s have grown in popularity, with people wanting to support local businesses and try local beer, and from 2019 to 2022 they grew over 52%. Whilst the rising number of beer drinkers looking for more complex IPA and pale ale flavours is boosting the number of craft breweries entering the market, it has been seen to reach saturation point in the last couple of years, with many brewery closures.
Different trends are also being identified, with sales still remaining low in younger age groups, and only 30% of 18-24yr olds drinking beer. Ravenhill has identified this gap in the market and is reinventing itself as a result.
CEO Nick Swash explains, “Not only are fewer younger people drinking beer, but the stats from the 2024 Industry Beer market show that 24% never visit a pub, and only 9% of females drink beer once a week. We see this an opportunity, not bad news, as there potentially aren’t the right products attracting them to drink beer. We have heavily researched the market and created a new range of pale ale and lager, with marketing and a brand to attract a younger audience.”
The collection which includes limited edition ranges including Yorkshire sayings ‘Flippin Eck’; ‘Nah then’; ‘Eee By Gum’; and an outdoor range of ‘Gone Fishing’; ‘Happy Camper’; ‘Let’s go Explore’ is being launched this month. To be followed in September with an additional 6 products in time for the peak sales period running up to Christmas.
Nick added, “we have created a truly Yorkshire product using pure chalk filtered wold water and sustainable local ingredients. Throw in the magic of Yorkshire sayings and we believe we are adding something both new and quite special to the market.”
