‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ – a strong new voice for diverse brewing culture!

The initiative for this strong, new presence of ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ originated from the ‘Independent Breweries of Austria’, who has been passionately and vehemently advocating to preserve Austrian beer culture since its members joined forces almost three years ago. This is an urgent matter, because in Austria alone, a single brewing group has built up an astonishing amount of power, controlling around two-thirds of the entire market.

Ten countries...and counting!
‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ consists of national associations of independent breweries. Associations from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and United Kingdom (UK) have been involved from the outset. Together, they want to join forces and form a counterweight against the ever-increasing advance of beer multinationals in Europe.
“We want to cooperate across borders,” says Hubert Stöhr, the Chair of Independent Breweries of Austria, describing the idea behind the founding of the group: “We have a major goal in common. We want to protect indigenous beer culture in all its diversity and facilitate its further development.”

The goal: Driving change together
There is a lot at stake. Europe has a rich beer culture developed over centuries. This, combined with the more recent craft beer movement, has resulted in a diverse array of regional brewing traditions from Ireland and Poland to Norway and Spain, which are part of Europe's common cultural heritage. But this heritage is now in danger, as the market is increasingly dominated by a few large international breweries. These global corporations consistently concentrate their production towards mass market tastes. Anyone who brews and sells such large volumes of beer cannot focus on specialties. As market concentration increases, there is a corresponding decrease in diversity, and a merciless price war is raging in most European countries.

It can't continue like this. The ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ want to counteract this downward spiral. They are campaigning for greater diversity and freedom of choice. They want to support each other and ensure better visibility for independent brewers. The aim is not to fight against the global players, but to compete with them in a sporting and fair way so that consumers have the opportunity to choose from more tasty products on the market.

Planned cooperation measures:
• Regular dialogue across national borders to identify changing market situations and new challenges at an early stage. Regular meetings form the basis for cooperation.
• Wherever independent breweries are dealing with an unfavourable or difficult environment, a quick and direct transfer of information can help:
> Procurement of high-quality raw materials
> Taxes, duties and legal provisions
> Representation of interests vis-à-vis national governments, but above all in Brussels.
• ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ want to raise awareness for their cause, one which is ultimately also the cause of quality-conscious beer drinkers. Not with a billion-euro marketing budget like the big conglomerates, but with creativity and sympathy.
• Last but not least, members of ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ want to learn from each other, adopt best practice examples, and thus, become stronger together.

Who are the ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’?
The IBE is an alliance of national associations representing independent breweries. The following associations gave the starting signal (in January 2024):
1. Germany: Private Brauereien
2. Finland: Pienpanimoliitto
3. France: Syndicat National des Brasseries Indépendantes (SNBi)
4. United Kingdom: Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA)
5. Italy: Unionbirrai
6. Netherlands: craftbrouwers.nl
7. Austria: Unabhängige Privatbrauereien Österreichs
8. Poland: Polish Craft Brewers Association (PSBR)
9. Switzerland: Die freien Schweizer Brauereien
10. Czech Republic: Czech and Moravian Microbreweries Association

The group is committed to growing, with talks already underway with other countries in Europe. Independent brewing organisations that are concerned about preserving regional beer culture are expressly invited to get in touch. Contact: office@independent-brewers.com

Countering the decline of brewing culture
The first attempt to join forces was made in Belgium in 2019, but the Covid pandemic and subsequent economic crisis meant that concrete activities had to be put on hold. In January 2024, the ‘Independent Breweries of Austria’ group made a fresh attempt and organised a meeting in Vienna to discuss current problems and possible joint strategies for future development with like-minded industry players from all over Europe. It became apparent that while each national market is different, "independents" everywhere are struggling with similar challenges:
• Unfair market practices: International beer groups in France are supplying restaurants and bars with special containers that are not compatible with the kegs used by private breweries. Hospitality businesses that stock one of the major beer brands can therefore no longer be supplied by private breweries. This makes it impossible for them to access the market.
• Pretence of regionality: In Austria, an international company offers seemingly regional brands. The appearance of these brands suggests Austrian products that come from different regions. But in fact, one of the world's largest beer multinationals is behind it.
• Targeted market concentration: International brewing groups buy up regional breweries and integrate them into their corporate structure. What remains of the originally independent beer is, at best, a brand. Take Germany as an example: who doesn't know Beck's from Bremen, Spaten, Löwenbräu and Franziskaner? These are "just" names and have all belonged to the world's largest beer group since 2008.
• Dominant marketing: Beer advertising is a billion-dollar business. Huge sums are pumped into communication and marketing every year. Regional family breweries cannot keep up with this. As a result, they are increasingly losing visibility, and their name recognition is being eclipsed by the intensive marketing activities of beer multinationals.
• Price war: Cheaper mass production means beer conglomerates can wage a tough price war, a feature which is mostly supported by retailers. Independent breweries are losing precious shelf space in supermarkets. In the already hard-hit hospitality trade, the beer brand that can offer the best price is often awarded the contract.

“The dominance of corporate beers is noticeable across all countries,” says Mike Benner, Managing Director of SIBA in the UK: “We will be a voice for thousands of breweries, from individual countries to Brussels, where to date we have been heard far too little.”

For a new quality awareness
European brewing culture in all its diversity can only be preserved if consumers are on board. That is why the members of the ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ want to create a new awareness of origin and regional traditions. “Our member companies respect the established traditions of their region. They place a big focus on sourcing good raw materials and brew with care,” says Stöhr. “If you pay attention, you can taste this difference,” explains Jos Oostendorp from the Craft association of independent Dutch brewers. And Archibald Tropres from SNBi in France adds: “We know that we can convince consumers of the benefits of genuine, authentic brewing culture. We just need to raise our voice more clearly.” Stefan Stang from the German association Private Breweries adds: “The value of regional breweries is not measured by the
number of hectolitres produced, but by their commitment to communities, associations and voluntary work. This dedication knows no boundaries, which is why we look forward to working with like-minded, independent breweries in Europe!” By joining forces, the ‘Independent Brewers of Europe’ aim to have each other's backs in order to safeguard their independence. “We are and will remain independent. We are not for sale. We are an important pillar of European culture and will not be wiped off the map,” concludes Stöhr.