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financial and environmental advantages when working with our one way kegs,” he says. “Customers do not have to worry about loads of administration, keg repairs, lost kegs, cleaning programmes and scanning kegs throughout the supply chain." EcoKeg Europe’s Jones adds: “The industry as a whole is going through massive changes as consumers become more discerning. The growth of microbreweries with less capital and without national infrastructure has changed the supply chain. “With the craft revolution seeing customers demanding more quality and variety on tap, we are seeing more and more breweries competing for market share. A lot of these new breweries have limited resources therefore can not afford to tie up money in steel kegs or invest in keg washing equipment. “As the new wave of micro-breweries compete for sales, all breweries need to be flexible to adapt and respond to the ever-changing demands of the market. Some areas are becoming saturated with local suppliers whilst other areas there is little choice, so to be able to sell outside of your local area OWK’s can be a useful tool to grow. Nationally and export sales can offer much needed additional revenue. This is much easier to quote and manage with OWK as there is fixed costs." But one-way kegs need not be the exclusive means a brewery sends out its beer. These products can complement your portfolio. Guido Klinkhamme, is the sales director at Schaefer Container Systems, and a firm advocate of investment in your keg fleet. “Many examples are showing that mid to long term this will pay out and for sure will leave the profit with the brewers. If you look into the normal keg distribution of a brewery the number of trips per year will justify an investment in most of the cases even in one to two years,” he says. “However, by approaching independent financial brokers or local banks and asking them to finance the keg business may help to overcome relevant cash issues.” Klinkhamme explains: “The craft beer industry in the
brewersjournal.info
July~August 2018
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