The Society of Independent Brewers’ (SIBA) award winning Direct Delivery Scheme (DDS) is being renamed ‘Beerflex’ to reflect the organisation’s plans to grow the commercial opportunities for its members in a changing beer and pubs market.
Launched in 2003, DDS has been very successful in creating access to pubs within pub companies for hundreds of brewers. It is a practical and efficient scheme whereby participating SIBA brewers deliver their beers directly to local tied or managed pubs via a centrally administered service.
Mike Benner, SIBA’s managing director said, “DDS has gone from strength to strength in line with the growing demand for high quality local beers. As a not for profit [1] scheme for SIBA members it now helps around 550 brewers to supply 4,000 different beers and is a trusted partner to more than 2,500 pubs within pub companies. We are now building on this success with a new commercial growth strategy led by our long-standing commercial director, Nick Stafford.”
Beerflex will now enable brewers to price their beers based on beer styles and ingredients rather than being constrained by ABV and the scheme is evolving to include a service which is integrated with pub companies’ central distribution and consolidated deliveries as well as, for the first time, including craft keg beers alongside cask ales.
Nick Stafford, SIBA commercial director, said, “The dynamics of the growth in demand for exciting, high quality and crafted beers alongside the uncertainty of the impact of the market rent only legislation means we have to evolve our commercial offer to members. Beerflex ensures that, alongside our brewer members’ own efforts, we continue to provide an excellent route to market they might not otherwise be able to enjoy, as well as responding to the changing needs of our valued pub company customers.”
[1] Proceeds from the scheme are put back into SIBA to support the delivery of its strategic aims
For more details about Beerflex please contact Rachel.harriott@siba.co.uk
-ends-
Notes to editors
SIBA was founded in 1980 by 20 pioneering microbrewers. Today, it has more than 800 brewer members, the majority of them classed as micro or local brewers. SIBA’s growing credibility and campaigning success – particularly achieving the introduction of Small Breweries’ Relief in 2002, and its role in the scrapping of the beer duty escalator in 2013 and consecutive cuts in beer duty in 2013, 2014 and 2015 – have established it as one of the most authoritative bodies in the brewing industry.
Issued on behalf of: Society of Independent Brewers
By: ShielPorter Communications
For information: Ros Shiel
07841 694137 / 01403 267971