Austria's beer: export boom despite the back consumption!
Austria's beer: export boom despite the back consumption!
Österreich - The domestic beer industry faces enormous challenges, but remains resilient. As Karl Schwarz, the chairman of the brewery association, announced, 2024 was characterized by high costs and a tense sales market. Despite increasing prices due to inflation and increased energy costs, the brewing industry in Austria was able to increase production to around 10 million hectoliters, which corresponds to a slight increase of 1.1 percent compared to the previous year. "You cannot compensate for the returning market with increased prices," said Schwarz to ORF. While sales stagnated in Germany, export recorded a remarkable plus of nine percent, which is attributable to the growing international interest in Austrian beer. These positive developments are also due to booming tourism, which stormed the demand for domestic beer types.
trends and consumption behavior in the beer industry
The trend towards non -alcoholic beer also inspires the industry. According to the breweries' association, alcohol -free beer now accounts for 3.7 percent of the total activity, and the trend is rising. While the consumption of beer decreases in hot weather, non -alcoholic products are very popular. This could be a reason why beer consumption is generally declining worldwide, even if Austria continues to take a top position - only the Czech Republic consumes more beer per capita. The gastronomy, as an important sales market for the breweries, has not yet completely recovered according to the Corona restrictions, which led to a decrease of three percent in barrel and tank beers.
Against this background, the brewery association sees light at the end of the tunnel. The recently introduced pedical increase from 9 to 20 cents per reusable bottle is a measure to promote sustainability and is intended to serve as an incentive to return. "The increased deposit was without an alternative," explains Schwarz. The reusable rate for beer is 67 percent at a high level, which distinguishes the industry as an ecological pioneer. The breweries emphasize that despite all the challenges, they want to look optimistically into the future and further exhaust the potential of the market, in particular through the increased production and export of non -alcoholic beer, which is becoming increasingly popular.