Money isn’t something people like to talk about. Including us. That’s why we haven’t really considered our pricing since we launched way back in 2013.
A lot has changed in craft beer since then. We’ve seen breweries explode in scale, moving into increasingly bigger spaces with increasingly elaborate brewhouses. We’ve seen a plethora of breweries open their doors, each with a unique take on what brewing “craft” means to them.
Another phenomenon we’ve witnessed is the rise of “supermarket craft”. This has been a real boon for craft beer fans as more and more craft lines get stacked on more and more supermarket shelves. With that kind of scale, the price comes down a bit. This led us to introducing “Core Beers” as a way to sell some of those more well-known brews to our customers at a fairer price.
But as we’ve seen the market grow, we’ve found it harder and harder to find the kinds of beers we love to share in our regular DeskBeers box— those beers from interesting or unusual breweries with interesting stories to tell, or mega-hopped juice-bombs that really up the ante in terms of soft, fruity flavours.
Simply put, while some beer has gotten cheaper, other beer has gotten more expensive. Therefore, in order to continue to buy the beer that excites us (while paying a fair price to the people who brew it), we’re going to be increasing the price of the DeskBeers Craft Beer box.
From the month of September 2018, 12 x 330ml craft beers will cost £36 + VAT, including delivery, when purchased as part of a Regular Delivery.
This represents a 20% increase in price, which may seem steep. However, when you consider that inflation alone from 2013 to 2017 accounts for 13% of that rise and the fact that cost of producing craft beer in particular is sensitive to fluctuations in things like foreign exchange, we hope you’ll agree that this is a fairly conservative increase. In making this change we’ll be opening the doors to more potential beers from more potential breweries in your DeskBeers Craft Beer Box.
The price of Core Beers will not be increasing (being priced much more recently, the differential with cost is much less egregious), so if you are perturbed by the Craft Beer price increase then perhaps Core Beers might be a good alternative. Drop a line to hello@deskbeers.com if you’d like to discuss your options.
No one likes paying more for stuff, but we hope this helps explain why we are doing what we’re doing. Ultimately, we’re really excited about this as it will mean better beer for everybody.
We hope you’ll continue to choose DeskBeers as your office drinks supplier.
Cheers,
Adam @ DeskBeers
