Italian beer conquers Anglo-Saxon markets

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It may not be like selling ice to the Eskimos, but selling beer to the Irish and English is certainly an indication of Italian production capabilities: according to a survey by Coldiretti carried out on Istat data on the occasion of Saint Patrick’s Day (17 March), imports of beer produced in Italy in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States grew in value by 16% in 2023.

Exports to the three Anglo-Saxon countries, starting from the United Kingdom and the USA where the Irish community is traditionally large, represent almost half of the total value of Italian beer sales abroad which last year approached 280 million euros. Beer is a sector whose flagship is represented by the 100% Made in Italy artisanal supply chain, which counts on 1,182 microbreweries and brew pubs throughout the national territory, practically tripled in the last 10 years, according to the Consortium of Italian beer born with the support of Coldiretti to represent the best of Italian productions.

The highest concentration is in Lombardy (184), then Veneto (129), Piedmont (104), Tuscany (89), Campania (81) and Lazio (70). But there are also important presences in Puglia (66), Sicily (65), Emilia Romagna (63), Marche (54) and Sardinia (51).

The issue of related industries is also important, given that the Italian craft beer supply chain offers work to around 93 thousand workers. Beer consumption in Italy is close to 38 liters per capita – explain Coldiretti and the Consortium – for a total of 2.2 billion liters and a value of 9.5 billion euros. The choice of beer as a drink – continues Coldiretti – has become increasingly refined and conscious over the years with particular specialties and varieties: flavoured, with hemp, smoked like the Ligurian one or the one with chestnuts, bergamot peel, honey or the one with Sicilian oranges.