Matthew Clark sees rise in demand for local products
Drinks supplier Matthew Clark has reported a sharp uplift is sales of English beers, wines and spirits over the past 12 months, which follows recent reports of a substantial increase in new winery and brewery registrations in the UK.
Matthew Clark's English wines experienced a 53% uplift (MAT Sept 14). The growth has been fuelled by sectors such as fine dining, prestige and boutique hotels and quality food-led establishments.
Beers and spirits sales from the UK have also experienced growth with sales up 13% year on year. A number of British beers in the company's Boutique Beers range had contributed to this growth, including Meantime and Curious with sales up 168% and 1173% respectively.
This trend is mirrored in home-grown spirits such as Chase Potato Vodka with sales up by 77%.
Ian Smith, commercial director for Matthew Clark, said: "For several years, locally-sourced food has been firmly in the spotlight, and we are seeing this trend growing in drinks as well.
"Consumers, particularly when visiting higher-end establishments, are increasingly demanding drinks with local heritage and provenance and Matthew Clark has responded to this by expanding our range of home grown beers, wines and spirits to satisfy this demand."