You Should Be Selling Your Craft Spirits in Europe: 5 Reasons Why
Let’s talk about an invasion of Europe. No, not that Mongol one back in the 1200s; today we’re talking craft spirits. Europe is ripe for a craft invasion, and here’s 5 reasons why you, anonymous craft spirits producer, want to be part of that leading charge.
1. A Booming Market
While it comes as no surprise that China an the United States rank 1st and 2nd (respectively) in the global market share of spirits, tagging close-behind, Europe’s $73.97 billion-strong revenue represents a wealth of opportunity for spirits brands that hail from a craft pedigree.
Though China’s hefty $156+ billion revenue may get some brands’ jaws a-dropping, when considering the sales mix (what sort of products are comprising this punchy figure), those jaws would do well to re-clench themselves in frustration, unless their portfolio predominantly consists of domestic, state-produced Baijiu.
The United State’s sales mix seems more diverse, sure — but look to Europe, and you’ll notice a more varied spread, with categories like gin and rum taking healthier portions of the pie: the European market is mightily thirsty, and this thirst gives a little more love to a lotta more stuff.
The European market is mightily thirsty, and this thirst gives a little more love to a lot more stuff.
Worth mentioning too that this thirst is only getting thirstier, as the comparative thirst-growth of the U.S. (4%) and China (1.3%) forecasted for 2023, pales in comparison to Europe’s healthy thirst-increase of 12.5%. Thirsty, indeed.
2. Top Shelf Stuff
Premiumisation is a watch-word these days, listing high on numerous industry Top Trends lists. And there’s an obvious reason for it: the age of information means that all a guest has to do to make sense of your backbar is a quick swish of the smartphone, and everything from a spirit’s B-corp status to its use of diffusers can be sussed out.
People are making smarter, more informed choices when drinking because they have the means to do so with a mere finger-flick. Compound this ease of information access with trends in health-consciousness, and you’ve got an unmistakable desire to drink things that are made with care and integrity.
A couple years back the CGA estimated that almost half of Europe’s drinking population selected high-quality drinks, with the younger contingent bringing this figure up to 54%, leading them to an undeniable conclusion: ‘consumers are demanding more innovation’.
Gone are the days of mass-marketed, generically-labelled, anonymously-sourced booze; now is the time of provenance, ethical manufacturing, and independent production. And Europe is showing itself to be a front-runner in advancing this.
3. A Craft-Friendly Drinking Culture
Hinted at in the above parsing of its sales mix, Europe’s drinking culture and heritage represents perhaps the most wide-ranging bar none (pun-intended). This would seem intuitive, considering the 40+ nation states that it comprises of, from whom most spirits categories today owe their popularity in large part to.
When we think ‘gin’, we think of its prehistory in the Netherlands and modern birth in the United Kingdom; ‘whisky’ takes us back to the rolling hills of Scotland; ‘vodka’ conjures Eastern European imagery of ice-chilled liquid served up with pickles and black bread; ‘cognac’,‘schnapps’, ‘pastis’, ‘eaux-de-vie’, ‘rakia’, ‘grappa’, the list of spirits categories that immediately evoke Europe is seemingly endless.
And accompanying this eclectic sense of heritage are the versatile habits that structure Europe’s drinking culture: a greater tendency to pair booze with times of day or season allow the spotlight to be shone on much more of the good stuff.
Aperitivo hours showcase all manner of vermouths, chinatos, americanos, liqueurs and more; evenings see moodier players featuring as digestifs — think fernet, unicum, montenegro; and, far from being that grim shooter on a thirsty Thursday, vodka is often the liquid accompaniment of choice at weddings, job promotions, births, funerals, and other momentous celebrations.
We’re not saying that these sorts of booze don’t play a big part in the drinks scene stateside, or even that American drinkers aren’t open to trying new things, but what Europe’s drinking culture provides is a whole load of different slots into which all kinds of craft products have their chance to shine just as well as the big boys in the spirits world, rather than just existing as curious, dusty oddities on the backbar, or throat-burning shots chased with watery beer.
4. The World’s Best Bars and Restaurants
If culture isn’t enough to sway you, let’s have a quick look at the actual places where it all happens.
Cast your mind to a vista of glistening waterside bacari; urban dives throbbing with nocturnal energy; mirror-shine art deco bar-tops tended by cotton-white-suited staff; dining halls that double as exhibitions for the biggest names in modern art; and that’s before even getting to how good the drinks taste.
Trying to snapshot a single image of European nightlife is an exercise in futility, yes, but useful in realizing the unparalleled buzz that experiencing it can bring.
It’s no surprise that lists ranking the nightlife of global cities are quite often dominated by Europe, and when it comes to industry accolades, the same holds true — around a third of 2021’s 50 Best Bars were placed in Europe, with its Restaurants contingent seeing even bigger success, taking the lion’s share this year.
The combination of an atmosphere-you-can-touch with its unrivalled volume of industry excellence means that Europe is a real destination for those looking to experience something exciting and otherworldly.
Bars and restaurants at the forefront of nightlife experiences are those most likely to be on the hunt for independently-produced products with an emphasis on provenance and craft, and a placement on the backbar of a Top 50 can often translate into windfall volumes by way of industry-word-of-mouth. When the best of the best are stocking your spirit, it only makes sense that the rest of the industry will start looking your way.
When the best of the best are stocking your spirit, it only makes sense that the rest of the industry will start looking your way.
5. It’s Easy to Get Started!
Reluctance to enter a new market is often justified on many fronts:
- What sort of export strategy will you apply?
- How do you find the right contacts on an entirely different continent?
- Do I have enough product to play with in an unfamiliar market?
That’s where Lexir can step in. Getting your product into a new market can often involve so many logistical hoops to jump through, that by the time you’ve got it in front of consumers, your margins are often far from ideal.
Lexir operates as a distribution platform that allows independent producers to sell directly to businesses & consumers, cutting out the antiquated need of old-school importers and distributors, providing access to some of Europe’s biggest markets including the 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, 🇫🇷 France, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇧🇪 Belgium (with many more in the pipeline).
Here’s how it works: Once you’ve decided what markets you’d like to enter, Lexir streamlines the importing process, sourcing the best shipping quotes and ensuring smooth movement of goods, using specialized logistics partners, and allowing you to decide how much stock is allocated to each chosen market.
Lexir’s focus on craft products also means that you don’t need a ton of stock to get started (a pallet or two will do!).
Your product then makes its way to the warehouse without having to think about all the mind-numbing admin related to customs, tax declaration and clearance. The warehouse holds distribution licences as a representative of your brand, which means that at all times, you stay in control of your product, its pricing and margins, without the hassle of setting up your own local company, logistical infrastructure, or applying for your own licenses.
On top of this, Lexir provides fulfilment and delivery for your product, meaning that everything from processing, picking, packing and shipping are all handled. That gives you the time to focus on your marketing and sales.
And, you guessed it, Lexir even has a whole bunch of tools to assist here, providing analytics on sales performance, stock levels, orders, payouts, and customer insights, as well as sales channel integrations designed to reach both B2B and B2C customers.
With such a streamlined process, the route to the European spirits market has never been so straightforward — all that’s left is to hop aboard and make your craft products continental!
Summary
- A Booming Market
- Top Shelf Stuff
- A Craft-Friendly Drinking Culture
- The World’s Best Bars and Restaurants
- It’s Easy To Get Started
Interested in bringing your brand to new heights in Europe? 🚀 Visit us to learn more at lexir.com
Contributions from Ben Watts
