Craft brewer has plenty of bottle

Wicklow Wolf has ambitious export plans to the US after planting 10 acres of hops just two years ago, writes Trish Dromey.

While many microbreweries start small and think local, Wicklow Wolf started local last autumn but is already thinking about exporting its American-style beer to the US. “We have quadrupled capacity since we started and we are now supplying kegs to pubs in Wicklow, Dublin, Wexford, and Kildare, and are selling to 200 off-licences around the country,” says company co-founder Quincey Fennelly.

Currently in discussions with a distributor in Northern Ireland, Wicklow Wolf plans to start selling there within a few months and to start supplying the UK market by the end of the year. “We are also looking at Europe and in 2016 we plan to move in to the US,” Mr Fennelly says.

The setting up of the company in 2013 was prompted by the growth in the craft beer industry and by an interest in craft beer. Mr Fennelly has previously worked for Ballygowan and C&C, and lived in the US where he brewed home beer and sampled craft beer. Setting up the company with Simon Lynch, a friend with a background in horticulture and an interest in craft beer, they set out to create something distinctive

They chose US-style beer because they both liked it and because not many of the other craft breweries in Ireland were making it. Researching craft beer brewing methods in the US, they planted 10 acres of hops in Wicklow in 2013.

Leasing a 465m sq base (formerly a bakery) in Bray they began fundraising and approached Enterprise Ireland. Using personal funds, private investment, and securing High Potential Start Up funding from Enterprise Ireland, they equipped the premises, persuaded a brewer to move to Ireland from Colorado, and began brewing last autumn.

Wicklow Wolf’s first product was American Amber ale which they sold in kegs to local pubs. By November, the company began bottling and found a distributor to sell to off-licences.

Before launching a range of four beers which include India Pale Ale and Kentucky Common Brown beer, the co-founders had spent time creating an image for Wicklow Wolf, choosing the name and the image because they wanted something “ natural, wild, and a little bit edgy”.

Without funding to spend on marketing, the company made full use of social networks to get attention. “We have 2,000 followers on Facebook and 1,000 on Twitter and it’s growing daily,” Mr Fennelly says.

Pitching at the general consumer as well as the more experienced craft beer drinker, the company is aiming to be something different. Last year it produced one batch of Locavore; “This is ale made from fresh hops — something which has been done very rarely in Ireland — and we sold all 2,500 bottles in ten days,” Mr Fennelly says.

While the craft beer space has become quite crowded in recent years, Wicklow Wolf’s founders believe there are good growth opportunities. They have modelled their company on Scottish craft beer company BrewDog, which is the fastest growing company in the UK in the food and drink space.

“There has been 100% growth in craft beer in Ireland in the last 12 months and it is estimated that the market here will grow from 0.8% to 10% in the next five years,” Mr Fennelly says, adding that craft beer is also the fastest growing segment in the global beer market.

He says Wicklow Wolf has quadrupled capacity since it started, is now brewing 1,650-litre batches three times a week and selling everything it produces. “We could sell more if we could make it but we are not going to rush it — the beer takes time to brew.”

To grow capacity to start exporting, Mr Fennelly and Mr Lynch say they now need more space and will have to begin looking for a larger premises and further investment.

Wicklow Wolf currently has a staff of four and is advertising for an assistant brewer and someone to handle administration. In three years time it plans to be exporting to the US and have grown the staff size to 18.