Coopers Brewery now holds about 5 percent of the total Australian beer market, following strong beer sales during the 2014 calendar year.
In the 12 months ended December 31, 2014, Coopers sold a record 77.3 million litres of beer, some 7.4 percent higher than in 2013 when beer sales totalled 72 million litres.
Coopers’ Managing Director, Dr Tim Cooper, said the 2014 result had been driven by rising interstate sales and the contribution of Coopers’ international beer portfolio. This represents 10.6 percent of the total volume.
“Queensland recorded the highest growth for the year with sales up 14.5 percent, ahead of Western Australia (12.6 percent), Victoria (12.3 percent) and New South Wales (6.6 percent),” he said.
“Exports were also up 7.2 percent as the impact of the falling Australian dollar begins to take effect.
“Sales in our home state of South Australia were steady.”
Dr Cooper said that to maintain the sales momentum, Coopers and its distribution company Premium Beverages had recently employed another eight sales people around Australia.
South Australia remained Coopers’ largest market, with 25.8 percent of total sales, just ahead of New South Wales with 25.7 percent.
Dr Cooper said Coopers Original Pale Ale remained the brewery’s flagship product and made up about 52.6 percent of Coopers’ beer sales.
This was followed by Coopers Sparkling Ale (11.9 percent), Mild Ale (7.3 percent) and Coopers Clear (4.8 percent)
Coopers’ non alcoholic beers, Holsten and Birell, which have also enjoyed rapid growth, and Thatchers cider sales are not included in the results.
Dr Cooper said Coopers was currently in the process of installing an additional four fermenters, taking the total number at the brewery to 28.
With the installation of these fermenters, Coopers is spending more than $4.5 million early this year, along with required changes to internal roads within the brewery to streamline truck movements around the brewery and to cope with ongoing growth.
For the six months to December 31, 2014, Coopers’ sales grew 5.1 percent over the previous corresponding period.