Page 32 - Food&Drink magazine Feb-Mar 2023

TRENDS 2023
Off the back of pandemic highs, beer remained the second favourite Australian alcoholic beverage category in 2022. Head of Jimmy Brings, Luke Calavassy takes a look at what to expect in 2023.
Variety brings beer back
IN 2022, beer was second only to ready-to-drinks (RTDs), which hit a new record high while every other category was ‘normalising’ towards pre-Covid levels.
According to Roy Morgan research, roughly 6.6 million Australians (33.3 per cent) currently drink beer, down
2.3 per cent from the pandemic peak of 2021.
Driving continued strong performance in the beer category are newly released products and new customers entering the market.
In a post-pandemic world, consumer attitudes towards drinking have shifted, including how they choose to drink beer.
Australian drinking preferences constantly evolve, and in recent years, there have been dramatic shifts, particularly in the beer category. Saying goodbye to 2022, these are
the beer category trends to watch in 2023.
THE RISE OF GINGER BEER AND FRUITY BEER
New products expanding the category, such as fruity beer, drove strong category performance in 2022.
This is expected to continue pushing the beer category forward in 2023, in addition to a newfound love for ginger beer.
Jimmy Brings data shows us that consumers are more adventurous with their beer selection, finding a taste for new flavours like ginger beer, which skyrocketed 27 per cent in the last quarter of 2022.
This consumer shift towards fruity flavours can also be seen in the rise of RTDs – which are typically fruity or sweet premixed drinks.
POPULARITY OF PREMIUM INTERNATIONAL BEER Australia-wide, Premium International Beer proved to
be one of the most popular beer categories.
It was the most popular in New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia, with Heineken, Asahi, Peroni,
and Corona key favourites. We expect this category to
continue performing strongly in 2023, due to the popularity of iconic international brands Australians know and love. Other popular categories included Mid Strength Beer (Queensland), Australian Craft
Beer (Victoria), and Full Strength Beer (Tasmania).
But the clear winner in the hearts of Australians everywhere was Premium International Beer. Also noteworthy, our most popular beer category in 2022 was lager.
recorded 25.9 per cent, and Sydney 24.9 per cent.
When this is compared to the percentages in Geelong, Newcastle, and Launceston, it’s clear that regional residents order a larger proportion of beer than other categories.
“ We expect this surge in beer popularity, particularly around ginger beer and fruity beer, to peak through summer and continue to perform strongly throughout the whole year.”
REGIONS DRIVING CATEGORY GROWTH
In 2022, Geelong had the highest proportion of beer orders in Australia, making up 40.6 per cent of drink sales in the area. This was followed closely by Newcastle (39.7 per cent) and Launceston (38.2 per cent).
Since expanding into Geelong in October 2022, we have seen its beer drinkers really enjoying the range of beers and service Jimmy Brings offers.
Looking at the capital cities, it is a different story when it comes to the proportion of beer orders.
Canberra tops the list with beer orders accounting for 28.2 per cent of sales, Brisbane was a close second at 27.9 per cent of overall city sales. Melbourne registered 26.6 per cent, Perth and Adelaide both
We also see purchasing preferences vary within regions. For example, beer accounts for 40.6 per cent of our deliveries
to Melbourne’s southwest.
We expect this surge in beer popularity, particularly around ginger beer and fruity beer,
to peak through summer and continue to perform strongly throughoutthewholeyear. ✷
✷ ABOUT THE AUTHOR
32 | Food&Drink business | February/March 2023 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au
Luke Calavassy has over 15 years’ experience in marketing, digital, and ecommerce, spanning sport, entertainment and liquor retail industries. As head of Jimmy Brings, Endeavour Group’s third largest retail brand and Australia’s largest on-demand alcohol delivery service, Calavassy is committed to the continual scaling of the company to provide an ultra-convenient service.