The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of International Marketing is supporting six Virginia craft beverage producers in exhibiting at Craft Beer Rising 2019 Feb. 21-23 at the Old Truman Brewery in London.
Five Virginia breweries, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery in Goochland, O’Connor Brewing Co. and Smartmouth Brewing Company in Norfolk, Triple Crossing Beer in Richmond and The Virginia Beer Co. in Williamsburg along with Sly Clyde Ciderworks in Hampton will serve up brews and ciders in the United Kingdom in a VDACS’ sponsored booth.
“Virginia’s craft beverage industry is strong and many of the companies in this industry source their ingredients from Virginia farmers to create world-class beers and ciders. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to share Virginia craft beverages with a growing market like the U.K.,” said VDACS Commissioner Jewel Bronaugh. “During and after the show, our marketing staff and the VDACS agricultural trade representative in Europe will help to connect these Virginia companies with sales partners, trade buyers and industry influencers in this important export destination.”
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery from Richmond and Port City Brewing Company from Alexandria will also participate in the festival. They will serve their products with the help of their local distribution partner, American Craft Beer Company (ACBC), a U.K.-based importer and distributor of U.S. craft beers. Hardywood first became available for sale in the U.K. in June 2017 when it announced a new partnership with the ACBC, and Port City announced a similar partnership with the company in July 2018.
Virginia is home to more than 300 licensed craft breweries and cideries, which is a 550 percent increase since 2012. A recent economic impact report by the Beer Institute showed that the Virginia beer industry employed more than 28,000 people in production, distribution and retail, which contributed nearly a billion dollars in state and local taxes in 2016. The VDACS Office of International Marketing assists agricultural and forestry products producers, including breweries, to find profitable export opportunities around the world.
The U.K. is the second largest export destination for U.S. craft beer, accounting for more than 10 percent of the total export market share. Craft Beer Rising is the U.K.’s premier event for showcasing craft brews to both trade representatives and consumers. The three-day event expects to attract more than 175 breweries and 12,000 beer and cider lovers. For more information on Craft Beer Rising 2019, visit www.craftbeerrising.co.uk and follow the show’s social media hashtag #CBR19.
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