Mary Jane and her family are jetting off on their summer holidays this year in quantities never seen before!
Despite the challenges caused by Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the ever-rising costs of international shipping, we have worked hard to ensure that Yorkshire beer remains available around the world (apart from in Russia; that had previously been our biggest market before we pulled out of there).
Since the start of the summer holidays, we've shipped 35,000 pints to thirsty countries around the world! Our busiest summer since we started exporting back in 2013.
UKRAINE
We're delighted to announce that our partners in Ukraine have been able to restart distribution, and our first shipment since the start of Russia's invasion went out in July and should be arriving in Kyiv any day. Sadly some of the pubs in which our beer used to be poured no longer exist, but we stand by our Ukrainian friends as they show they will not be beaten and that their values and "normal" life shall continue. They will be soon raising glasses of Mary Jane and Ilkley Pale across the capital to salute their commrades and look forwrd to the end of the war. Hops Not Hate. Make Beer Not War. Slava Ukraini!
ITALY
We have been sending our finest to Northern Italy for a decade now, working with Stefano and his brilliant team at Bassan Bernardo e Figli in Thiene - historically Grappa country, but now a heartland for great craft beer! Our partners here are laser focused on quality and credibility, with a dedicated team of people installing and training pubs and bars how to look after and serve British beer, including on cask! We don't send cask during the summer due to the heat in Italy, but our kegs of Alpha Beta and Pale have been hoppily refreshing the Italians during their heatwave.
SWEDEN
Not only do we have two bottled beers listed with the Systembolaget (the state-run monopoly on retail alcohol in Sweden) in Lotus IPA and Joshua Jane Yorkshire bitter, we also regularly send out casks to some of the premier pubs in Stockholm. Our partner and Ilkley-expat Jeremy set up Jorvik Estates to highlight the brilliance of Yorkshire beer internationally, and over the years he has championed our humble little brewery, consistently punching above his (and our) weight in gaining listings. Now part of the larger Wicked Wines distribution network, we're expecting to send over 130,000 bottles of beer over the course of this year!
CROATIA
A new territory for Ilkley! Having visited Zagreb as part of a Dept International Trade delegation a few years back, a lot of work has gone into making sure our beers are pouring at some of the country's best resorts and city centre bars. And later this week over 100 kegs of our flagship Mary Jane will be wingning their way to Zagreb and all along the Dalmation coast!
GEORGIA
Having invested heavily in bringing British beer to Eastern Europe and even further East with supply to both Russia and Kazakstan as well as Ukraine over the past 5 years, we've looked to consolidate Eastern countries as replacements for Russian supply. And this month we'll be sending our first batch of Mary Jane and Ilkley Pale kegs to Georgia. She really gets about that Mary eh?!
We used to sell all across France, but Brexit cost us our listings unfortunately. However, if you're headed to France via Ferry, chances are you can start your holiday with a bottle of Yorkshire's Most Wanted, as we supply P&O Ferries!
We regularly welcome visitors to Ilkley into our office/shop who regail us of tales of seeing our beer or branding on their travels or hometowns. I think Yorkshire has something like 20million expats now living abroad, and it's so great when we hear people have seen or sampled "their" home beer, just as it is when we see the enthusiasm for our beers from new drinkers around the world. Despite the barriers of international shipping costs, the extra paperwork involved since we left the EU, and the rising costs of production, our mission is to make Ilkley synonymous with great beer, and so we will continue to be Powered by Exports as part of our wider Powered By Beer mission.