Emerging Craft Markets Noted at GABF - Brewbound.com

Nov. 5, 2013 at 5:58 PM

Full article available: http://www.brewbound.com/news/video-emerging-craft-markets-noted-at-gabf-2

You can still find bronzing grandparents, golf courses and nightclubs in Florida, but after speaking with hordes of craft brewers at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver earlier this month, it seems that the Sunshine State also offers a growing range of craft beers.

While brewers said that they've waited many years for Florida to turn the corner, it's not the only emerging market identified in the video above. Texas, the Carolinas and the rest of the Southeast are some of the regions mentioned as booming, while it's widely accepted that the Northeast is approaching saturation.

The numbers seem to back up what the brewers are talking about, especially when it comes to Florida. According to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm, three of the fastest-growing craft markets year-to-date ending on Oct. 6 are Tampa/St. Petersburg, which has increased dollar sales by 32.3 percent, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, which has increased dollar sales by 30.4 percent, and Orlando, which has increased dollar sales by 24.9 percent.

Steve Farace, the director of marketing at Atlanta-based SweetWater Brewing Company, which sits in the heart of this growth's geography, said that the spiking popularity of craft in Florida, as with any market, can be attributed to three things: a community willing to embrace craft, effective wholesalers and a compatible retail environment. After SweetWater finished its $19 million expansion in April, the brewery started distributing to Florida in May. Farace said this was because Florida checked off in all three departments.

"South Florida really has been a great expansion market for us," he said. "We've been in other parts of the state of Florida in the past, but South Florida as a market is a huge opportunity."....article continued on Brewbound.com: http://www.brewbound.com/news/video-emerging-craft-markets-noted-at-gabf-2