By Karen Peattie
A BREWER established in Glasgow three years ago has secured a Scotland-wide listing in Aldi for its low-calorie Gen!us Craft Lager.
Genius Brewing’s award-winning lager will feature in the supermarket group’s Scottish Beer Festival which launches in 96 stores across Scotland on Thursday. This is the brewer’s first Scotland-wide listing with a major national retailer.
Founded by Jason Clarke and Charlie Craig, Genius Brewing “is on a mission to make healthier drinking a pleasure, not a compromise”. Its Gen!us product, described as a “refreshing light craft lager with a smooth, citrus finish”, contains 79 calories in each 330ml can – fewer than the average apple – and at 3% abv is exactly one unit of alcohol.
The firm has seen turnover double over the past year and said that Covid “has put health and obesity at the top of people’s agenda which is helping drive the trend for lower ABV, low calorie light beers”. Its co-founders also noted that a high-profile appearance on BBC’s Dragons’ Den in April had “proved a key catalyst in the company’s brand awareness and sales growth”.
“Ecommerce is up 50 per cent across Amazon and the Genius Brewing website, while in August, Gen!us Craft Lager will list in 350 Spar stores across England and Wales,” they added. “Launching in Aldi’s Scottish Beer Festival is another big step in the company’s ambition to become the UK’s number one light craft lager brand.”
Mr Craig described the Aldi launch as a “key milestone”. He said: “We’re delighted to be working with a major retailer who recognises the huge trend for healthier drinking, and having Gen!us available in Aldi’s 96 Scotland stores, from Inverness to Hawick, is a fantastic opportunity to share our low-calorie craft lager with beer lovers across the country.”
Aldi Scotland’s group buying director, Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “We are committed to supporting the Scottish craft beer industry and are exceptionally proud of the relationships we have established with local breweries. As we look to the future, we remain committed to our suppliers and will continue to grow our partnerships.”
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