CRAFT BREWERIES
RYE RIVER
W
hen Rye River Brewing Company set up almost 10 years ago, there were about 65 breweries in total operating across the country. Today, there are over 130. It is, says RRBC Managing Director Tom Cronin, a crazily competitive space. “You've got to be agile and I know I’m like a scratched record when I say this, but we’ve worked extremely hard at our craft to get to the position we’re in today. The key things we’ve held onto since we started are quality and consistency. We've always maintained that for a craft brand to migrate to the top of the pile, it must retain its consistency. That beer you enjoy every Friday has to be the same; it shouldn’t change in ABV clarity or in mouthfeel. From the off, our focus has been on guaranteeing that consistency.” To meet that promise, every recipe at Rye River starts with a water profile. “We have 32 unique recipes on the go all the time and every one of them has its own water profile. So we don’t even take chances when it comes to the water coming into the business; we strip everything out and then we build the water profile, suiting that style of beer. I believe that gives us a great head start.” Tom’s passion for the industry was ignited in previously held roles in Heineken and Molson Coors. The RRBC management team are also industry veterans. “That industry knowledge has proved invaluable. We’re also passionate about what we do, which is essential in this business.” In 2021, the Celbridge-based brewery grew by 11%, making it the country’s number one retail craft brewery. Although export and domestic volume is up, RRBC remains very much an independent craft brewer, says Tom. Beers are brewed in 2,500 litre batches, on probably one of the smallest kits in the country. “This week we’ll be brewing 40 brews, so we’re a very hard working brewery. We use 25kg bags of malt which have to be manually lifted and filled every day. We run a very manual process here and as
Bill Laukitis, Head Brewer and Tom Cronin, Managing Director, Rye River Brewing Company
“I believe we’ve done a huge amount of work in raising the bar for Irish craft brewing and for Irish craft breweries”
a result, work 24/7 to eke out the volume. I think sometimes we’re not recognised for our efforts due to our size; I believe we’ve done a huge amount of work in raising the bar for Irish craft brewing and for Irish craft breweries.” RRBC is about to go to market to raise €3.5 million for growth capital investment. “I think we need to move away from that pace. It’s very demanding on everyone, on me right down to people working in the warehouse, in production, in finance. Yes, we get great results but I’m conscious of the effort that goes into it. We're certainly not going to lose sight of where we've come from, but the pace at which we currently operate probably isn’t sustainable.” Like most businesses, inflation is impacting the business. Since the war in Ukraine, glass prices have gone up over 40%. “I’ve always maintained that the Irish consumer doesn’t engage with cans in the same way they appreciate a 500ml bottle. We’re buying bottles from the UK now, but the cost isn’t sustainable so that issue around glass will require a strategy change. Cardboard and paper have also gone up 40% and utilities are through the
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