Brexit set to affect Spanish beer industry

IN a recent study, the beer industry in Spain has recently taken over the wine industry as the most popular drink in the country for many years.

However many industry insiders have expressed their concern after a number of factors have led to alarm bells ringing for the future of the sector.

Spain’s beer producer association Cerveceros de España recently expressed their concerns during a presentation on Spanish tourism habits.

Jacobo Olalla, managing director of the association is worried that the effects of a No Deal Brexit and an economic slowdown could severely damage the beer production industry.

“It’s a little early to say, but we have felt the effects of the economic slowdown and then there is concrete data, such as the drop in British tourism,”

A major portion of Spain’s beer production is for export and one of the main destinations for Spanish beer is the UK, with 467,132 hectolitres exported in total in 2018.

“It’s a country with a big beer culture which doubles or triples our consumption and also helps us to export,” Olalla adds.

He continued that he is very worried about the event of a possible No Deal Brexit, “Brexit could have consequences for the pound and for tourism – not just holiday tourism,”

Spain is the fourth-biggest beer producer in the European Union.

According to the last report from the Ministry of Agriculture on food and drink consumption in Spain, beer is the most popular cold drink outside the home. In 2018, it accounted for 35.2 per cent of cold drinks consumed, compared with 32.7 per cent of water and 19.5 per cent of soft drinks