Toasting the best little brewhouse in the world!

RYE RIVER BREWING COMPANY I PROFILE

CEO Tom Cronin

Rye River Brewing Company exports its multi-award-winning craft beers to 26 countries. Following solid growth, the Irish company refuses to stand still – with a brand revamp, new beers and exciting plans to consolidate its top billing. By Andy Probert.

Things are flowing fast and true for Rye River Brewing Company right now. Founder and CEO Tom Cronin and his team of 63 employees wouldn’t have it any other way.

Whether it’s taking craft brews into new, unchartered territories, seeing commercial growth, undergoing a brand revamp, taking the business to new heights, or just seeing someone enjoy one of their creations, all are coming good for the brewer.

Packed with flagship brands such as Rye River, Rye River Seasonal, McGargles, Grafters, Solas and The Crafty Brewing Company, the County Kildare brewer proudly stands as one of the most celebrated and awarded globally.

A business of substance

But for all the company’s awards – 31 of which were won at the 2021 World Beer Awards – the brewer is a business of quality, consistency, substance, innovation and resilience.

Mr Cronin, who has been in the drinks industry since leaving university, launched the company with two partners in October 2013 that “came from an awareness that craft beer was a growing trend in Ireland and, in time, could be a dominant player in the beer category.”

Following a business restructure in 2017 to regain focus on its core brands and markets, Mr Cronin continued as the company’s sole founder, stepping into the role of CEO, and set about making Rye River Brewing Company a world-leading independent craft brewer.

In the years since, it has been setting milestones for all the right reasons, including being the first brewery to be commissioned in Ireland for over 100 years, operating out of a 25HL brewhouse.

“We are a very labour-intensive brewer, brewing up to 40 craft brews a week, 24/7,” he emphasised. “Our brewhouse and tank farm is unique in that every bit of steel used for those assets has been made in Ireland.”

At the time of the 2017 restructure, the company was turning 16,000-17,000 hectolitres, but that more than doubled by the end of 2021.

Diverse portfolio

“We grew substantially between 2017 and 2018, and have grown consistently every year since, by about 10%,” commented Mr Cronin. “That makes us one of the larger independent craft brewers in Ireland. But we are not a one-brand brewery; we are quite complex in offering a diversity of beer brands between retail, exclusive and core brands, brewing up to 30 unique recipes every week.”

With a 50-50 split between domestic and export, the Celbridge-based brewer supplies exclusive craft beers to some of Ireland’s

largest retailers, such as Lidl, Dunnes and Tesco, while its beers are exported to 26 markets, predominantly in Europe.

Mr Cronin said: “Exports are across our core range of beers from our new Rye River Brewing Company brand, our Rye River Seasonal range, our established McGargles brand. Rye River Brewing Company also exports exclusive brands, such as The Crafty Brewing Company for Lidl. We export to places like Italy and Germany and all are performing well.”

Brand is a moot point for the company as it’s presently rolling out an overhaul of its core product line to reflect the brewery’s name.

“We have developed a successful story in craft brewing without having any of our brands carry the Rye River name. So, we have now decided to bring a brand to life that recognises who we are,” revealed Mr Cronin.

“We believe a greater focus on Rye River Brewing Company will help the brewery in its next phase of development. While we adopt a brewery brand-led strategy and transition, we still offer the same great Irish craft beer. We believe the

RYE RIVER BREWING COMPANY I PROFILE

changes will be more engaging and bring Rye River Brewing Company to more customers.”

The Rye River Brewing Company name has replaced McGargles on draught in pubs and has been made further available since October last year when it launched four SKUS in 330ml can packs in retail. A full transition from the McGargles brand to the Rye River brand is now planned for Q2 this year.

The changes come following a year of growth in off-licence and retail sales, despite the challenges associated with a global pandemic.

Mr Cronin added: “As the most decorated independent craft brewery in the world for the second year running at the World Beer Awards and the best in Europe for the fourth year at the same awards, it proves we are doing something right in producing 30 unique recipes all year round, and reaffirms our passion for consistency and quality.

“We’re a complex brewery, but it has stood to us in good stead during the pandemic in that while exports were impacted severely, and on-premise and on-trade business were depleted, we grew 11% as we had a strong retail premise in Ireland and abroad.”

Passionate brewers

Behind the corporate entity and at the beating heart of operations is a team of passionate brewers headed by Bill Laukitis and supported by an equally passionate production team, ensuring that what gets brewed with passion, gets packaged with passion.

“From the brewers’ perspective, it is interesting to note that many of their journeys in brewing began with them apprenticing here,” said Mr Laukitis. “They have risen through the ranks, and we can boast that brewers working in some of the world’s most interesting breweries learnt the ropes here.”

He emphasised: “The culture at Rye River Brewing Company is about quality: from the first step of getting your water and brew right, through to sourcing the best ingredients for a unique recipe; not cutting corners, constantly checking the product and, finally, having a beer in your hand that you can proudly stand by.”

At Rye River, to get ahead in a saturated craft brewing market, the company focuses on a list of core ingredients from selected suppliers in addition to perfecting its brewing processes.

Mr Cronin commented: “We have a unique water profile for every beer that we create. The biggest worth I can bring to Ireland’s craft beer industry is quality and consistency, and we never compromise on those. It’s what we are passionate about.”

Mr Laukitis agreed, adding: “From our malts to our hops, Rye River makes its ingredients a top priority, working with both modern and traditionally hand-turned malts. If I am brewing a German lager, we make sure to select German pilsner malts as the base into that beer. If it’s a Pale Ale or an IPA, we start with a unique grist and then select hops that will shine in that beer wherever they come from be it the US, Germany, Australia or even New Zealand –in order to complete that beer’s story. Even if we’re showcasing eight IPAs or Pale Ales, they will all be different.

“The brewery finds great inspiration from ingredients and opportunities to create new products. Everybody is focused and passionate because the industry demands that.”

The pair revealed that a new seasonal product – one of five for the year - was under wraps after the brewery collaborated with Crisp Malt in Norwich. They have a unique piece of equipment that allows you to finish off a malt in the roasting process under very controlled conditions.

“We wanted to work on a brown malt that brought out the characteristics of modern coffee, that’s nutty and fruity in taste before roast takes over,” said Mr Laukitis. “We had great conversations with Crisp Malt in the lead up to taking one of their poly-clear choice malts through the roasting process to create a lightly roasted brown malt – with a smoother, more modern or contemporary approach to coffee roasting.

“The analysis is underway, and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved. I am brewing a Brown Ale with that malt combined with a Belgian yeast to push dark fruit and cherry notes. It will be a coffee-inspired Brown Ale and our last seasonal for 2021.”

Earlier in 2021, the company released another Rye River Seasonal called High Noon Fruited Sour, which consisted of cactus fruit with blood orange. The burst of refreshing notes included tangy red grapefruit, orange, tart cherries, raspberry, strawberry, bubble gum, and watermelon – all atop a spritzy tart ale.

Forward thinking

2022 will also include five seasonal releases, including Miami J IPA, which is hugely popular and the only re-release seasonal, as well as a barrel aged project.

“The brewers always take huge interest in using the right barrels: we have used Cognac barrels, Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels, and in 2021 it was Anejo Tequila barrels. Next year, we have many options under consideration,” Mr Laukitis revealed.

Mr Cronin continued: “We usually find the premium seasonal ranges are all pre-sold before release. We are now targeting export markets with our seasonal range, with our last batch of Rye River Seasonal shipping to the Nordics for the first time. This brand will remain a limited-edition small batch release irrespective of growing demand.

“These seasonal releases are helping to push the boundaries of how we brew and lead to innovations that we look to incorporate in other core beers. It helps make craft beer stand out on the market. Importantly, we don’t pasteurise or filter our beers, ensuring great ingredients and great hops shine through to the end in a great brew.”

This unrelenting pursuit for quality, consistency and innovation, pushing Irish craft beer to the cutting edge of industry, has seen Rye River sweep all before it when it comes to awards and accolades.

Since the company’s restructure in 2017, Rye River Brewing Company has taken over 100 accolades at the World Beer Awards, as well as hundreds of other awards including 18 Great Taste awards, and US Craft Beer Open, Meininger and Brussels Beer challenge medals.

“We want to be seen as a leader and be a catalyst in raising quality and consistency standards,” Mr Cronin commented.

“If the World Beer Awards are anything to go by, we had 31 in 2021, 30 in 2020 and 21 in 2019, so we must be doing something right. For all employees, it is a testament to them and a great acknowledgement of their pursuit of quality and consistency.”

He added that many challenges remain in the industry, ranging from the introduction of a new alcohol bill in 2021 to prevent multi-buys, to minimum unit pricing which has recently been introduced in Ireland. “I am hoping that consumers in Ireland may well engage even better with craft beers in the fullness of time. We have a saying here, and it occurred during the pandemic, that people are prepared to pay a little more to savour a better experience. Craft beers play in that space.”

However, the greatest risk to the industry at large, he remarked, is inflation and availability of raw materials.

“Raw material costs are spiralling and in short supply; as beer is a commodity, it has very sensitive price-elasticity. It’s not easy to push the price up as consumers become disengaged. That said, while there are a lot of ill winds blowing through the industry, we’re confident where we can take this brewery in terms of volume, credentials and profile.”

By the time glasses are being clinked to celebrate the end of 2021, Rye River Brewing Company will be focusing on the installation of a new packaging line for Q1 2022, following an investment worth €1.5 million, and will have begun a procurement process for a new brewhouse at its Celbridge site in conjunction with the filing of a planning application for a new 20,000 sqft warehouse.

“We hope to realise that new brewhouse by 2023,” confirmed Mr Cronin. “As for 2022, we are looking at new growth, extra capacity and new markets, such as China, Canada and the UK.

“That level of investment for an independent brewery in Ireland is reflective of the confidence and ambition we have in our brands, our people, our culture, quality, and how our beers are perceived.”

He concluded: “We have never been as confident as we are now in what we do, believing in our vision and delivering on it. We were at a precipice in 2016, but we are now a leader in our category, winning awards, and acknowledged by an independent panel of tasters for brewing some of the best beers in the world at our Kildare based brewery. It is something we are all immensely proud of!” n