FEBRUARY 2012 Vol 56 No 02
INSIDE:
Substance Report: What it really said
Craft Beer: Promising Profits
INTERVIEW WITH
Enda Keogh LVA Chairman & Dublin Publican
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 Vol 55 No 07
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News
inside NEWS
6 Innovative Hackney Licences May Save Rural Pubs 7 Report: Alcohol Consumption Down 17% In 10 Years 8 Strong Guinness Sees Global Growth 9 Bartenders Celebrate 40 Years 10 Business Meeting With Anna Malmhake
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Cover INTERVIEW
11 Enda Keogh Dublin publican and chairman of the LVA, Enda Keogh, gives his view of the Dublin on trade, explains why the issue of supermarket discounted alcohol must be tackled and looks to the future of the Capital’s on trade with optimism.
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Features
13 Major story: National Substance Misuse Report The Government has finally published its steering group report on a substance misuse strategy – so what does it really say about alcohol? Licensing World details all the relevant information.
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16 HAVE YOUR SAY: Margaret Jeffares Good Food Ireland developer, Margaret Jaffares, explains how using the best of Irish produce and working with Irish producers can lead to a unique food offering that customers will appreciate again and again.
17 Vodka Still the king of spirits, vodka is a diverse product in high demand, explains importer Edward Dillon. Plus we detail Hollywood legend Dan Aykroyd’s Crystal Head Vodka (right).
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20 HENNESSY GOLD CUP The 22nd running of the Hennessy Gold Cup brought the licensed trade together for a festive day of racing, food and Hennessy-inspired cocktails. Here you will find the full on trade report.
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Special
CRAFT & IMPORTED BEER
*
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23 Leading craft beer brewers and importers explain what 2012 will hold for Ireland’s developing craft beer market and how publicans can add craft profits in the months ahead. 26 Publican Niall Walshe on his expanding craft-focused pub group which has recently opened a second premises in Dublin with more on the way.
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Regulars
28 WINE The Argentine wine industry, the once sleeping giant of the wine sector, has received major investment in recent years and as a result Malbec is in high demand globally. *Nielsen MAT ending Nov 27th 2011
For trade sales and customer queries ph: 01 2434900 www.johnplayer.ie
32 TRAINING Food service requires proper training of all associated staff and Environmental Healthy Officers can provide valuable assistance, reports James Murphy.
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33 FOOD FOCUS Publicans could soon be required to include calorie counts on their food menus, part of the Government’s announced pledge to overcome rising levels of obesity.
More Action and Less Conversation Needed
A STAR IS POURED WITH HEINEKEN’S STAR SERVE Over the past year, Heineken has taken the perfect pint to a new level with the introduction of the four step Star Serve, a quality programme that perfects the long-tradition and art of pouring a pint. The Star Serve ensures the pint is poured perfectly every time and seals in the fresh, crisp taste under the head for longer. The Heineken Star Serve Experience reached venues across Ireland showing the four Star Serve steps to the perfect pint in Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Belfast.
LOG ON TO WWW.HEINEKEN.IE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FOUR STEP HEINEKEN STAR SERVE.
n The Government’s published Action Plan for Jobs 2012 is an attempt by the powers that be to instill confidence in their ability to rebuild the economy and create jobs. According to the unified front of An Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore and Richard Bruton, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, who appeared in front of the public and business communities, the great and powerful collective minds at Leinster House have comeup with a sure fire approach to the help get the jobless back to work and in the process mend the troubles that are ailing our country – and, we hope, stem the waves of young people, the bright future of our land, who are currently leaving our shore en masse each day. Through their collective wisdom the Government claims to have generated over 270 actions that will be implemented over the coming months across all departments and State agencies with the end result of both creating jobs and removing barriers to job creation. It all sounds rather grand, as does the promise that the Taoiseach is committed to making Ireland ‘the best small country in the world in
which to do business’ spurred on by Mr Kenny’s intention to increase the number of people at work by 100,000 by 2016. Bravo, such statements make great sound bites and are generally front page gold for Governments – but will this coalition be able to deliver? To achieve any sort of job stability, never mind growth, credit must be unlocked – and quickly. Thankfully the Government seemed to have seen the light before Christmas when it was announced that small and mediumsized businesses, who are struggling to access credit, will be supported through a loan guarantee scheme, a move that Patricia Callan of the Small Firms Association rightfully pointed out being only a step in the needed direction and in reality the real boon Ireland needs is for banks to return to normal lending patterns. The VFI continuously points out that small businesses are the lifeblood of Ireland’s economy and ensuring the survival of small operators must be the top priority. It is an unfortunate truth that trading in Ireland is now so difficult that since the loan guarantee scheme was first touted last year, and since the jobs action plan was announced at the start of February,
editor’s letter the number of small and mediumsized business closures throughout Ireland has continued at a frightening pace. Walk the streets of our cities, towns and villages and you will see the familiar sight of A4 sheets in doors, the message is consistent, ‘thanks, we tried, we couldn’t make it work’. An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, says that getting Ireland back to work is an ‘all-consuming obsession of every Cabinet Minister’ – and with over 300,000 job losses since our economic model collapsed in 2008, well it should be. Talk and promises of action is all very good – but didn’t we have a hyped Jobs Initiative last year? Small businesses in Ireland, such as publicans who act as important local employers, need to see more than just reports and hype, we need to see real action now.
Nigel Tynan Editor
Email: n.tynan@jemma.ie
And where are our bars?
In a published directory of the 50 Best Bars in the World the greatest drinking den has been named as New York’s PDT (pdtnyc.com), an acronym for Please Don’t Tell due to the fact that the bar, along the lines of a speakeasy, is hidden from the public. To access it you must enter a phone booth in Crif Dogs eatery in New York’s East Village where a false door gives way to a small 43 seat cocktail bar, with sultry lighting, leather booths, exposed brickwork and you can even eat your Crif hotdog. All in all it sounds like an incredible experience and the photography of PTD furthers this perception, however within the pages of this almanac you will not find a single Irish pub – begging the question, was this an unforgivable omission, or are we not as great as we like to think? Editor: Nigel Tynan Managing Director: Simon Grennan Chairman: Frank Grennan Commercial Manager: John Corcoran Contributors: James Murphy, Andy O’Gorman Design and layout: Jeannie Swan Production Manager: Jim Heron Subscriptions: Josie Keane Administration: Marian Donohue Printing: SPS, Wicklow Published by: Jemma Publications Ltd, Broom House, 65 Mulgrave Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin,
Tel: 01 214 7920 Fax: 01 214 7950 Email: sales@jemma.ie Editorial email: n.tynan@jemma.ie Advertising email: j.corcoran@jemma.ie Subscription: Tel: 353 (1) 214 7920 or online www.licensingworld.ie Fax: 353 (1) 214 7920 Email: sales@jemma.ie Jemma Publications publishes the following titles: Hotel & Catering Review, Irish Hardware, Irish Printer
No part of Licensing World may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form without permission of Jemma Publications. ISSN: 1393 0826
NEWS
NEWS
Innovative Hackney Licences May Save Rural Pubs The possibility of a new type of limited hackney licence for rural areas has been welcomed by rural publicans as a means of helping to overcome economic decline. The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) is backing the Government’s Taxi Regulation Review – a report into the taxi sector that acknowledges the problems of rural isolation and inaccessibility which ‘impact on local economic activity’. Announced by Transport Minister of State Alan Kelly, the review proposes the introduction of a Local Area Hackney Licence for rural locations to help facilitate low cost entry into the hackney market in rural areas. The licence would be limited to a set area of operation with pick-up limited to a specified distance from a nominated base location. The licence holder would be prohibited from plying for hire in towns. According to the VFI, the proposal is ‘innovative’ and ‘would certainly help alleviate some of the problems of rural isolation affecting so many of the older community in rural Ireland, for whom walking to the local village is not an option for a variety of reasons’.
(l-r) Vivienne Jupp Chairperson, CIE; Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport, Leo Varadkar TD, with Christy O’Neill from the Marine Bar accepting the Visit Merit Award, part of the 22nd annual CIE Tours International Awards of Excellence. In total 62 hotels, B&Bs, entertainment venues and tourist destinations received awards across 12 categories ranging from Best Hotel Dinner and Accommodation to Best Tour Feature. Award winners were chosen by CIE Tours International customers who provide feedback on their stay. Also among the award winners was The Merry Ploughboy of Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, which won the Best Event Dinner/Entertainment Award.
DIARY DATE:
VFI Set For Kilkenny AGM The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) is travelling to Kilkenny this year for its annual general meeting and gathering. The threeday event takes place from 14-16 May and will be held in the four-star Hotel Kilkenny on College Road.
Millions of Americans Read of our ‘Savage Craic’
Millions of potential US holidaymakers have been reading about the ‘savage craic’ on offer by visiting the west of Ireland. Richard Bangs, an Emmy award-winning videographer and travel correspondent for the Huffington Post, has been writing and posting about his travels in Ireland last year on the travel pages of the hugely popular Huffington Post news website, which attracts an average audience of 34 million readers each day, Bangs, who was a guest of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland, has posted a series of features entitled The Savage Craic of Western Ireland, including interviews with various locals he met during his time in Ireland, as well as articles highlighting the diversity, culture, unique experiences and world-class cuisine of a holiday in the west of Ireland. Footage captured by Bangs includes his trip to Inis Mór, where he met and interviewed local people, and where he describes the ‘stunning’ scenery of the Burren, as well as documenting his time in Gus O’Connor’s pub in Doolin and his visit to the Burren Smokehouse.
Joanne O’Hagan of the Dublin Film Festival (left) and Anna Malmhake, chairman and CEO, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, announce Jameson’s renewed sponsorship to 2015 of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. Jameson has been the title sponsor of Ireland’s largest film event since 2003. Over the past 10 years an array of film talent has attended special screenings during the event including Daniel Day Lewis, Gabriel Byrne, Colin Farrell, Charlize Theron, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson and Kevin Spacey. LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
Report:
Alcohol Consumption Down 17% In 10 Years Irish alcohol consumption has fallen by 17% in the last 10 years. According to a new study by economist Anthony Foley of Dublin City University Business School, the first big decline in average consumption was in 2003 after which it remained consistent until 2007. A further large decline occurred in 2008 and 2009 partly due to the impact of cross-border shopping, explains the report, while the decline was arrested in 2010 and 2011 as a result of the repatriation of trade previously lost to Northern Ireland crossborder alcohol purchasing. The current consumption average of 12 litres per adult is named as being ‘significantly below the 14.4 litres per adult peak of 2001 when Irish per adult consumption was the highest among OECD countries’. Anthony Foley comments, ‘average alcohol consumption declined from its peak in 2001 of 14.4 litres per adult to 13.5 litres per adult in 2003. It broadly stayed at this level until 2007 and in 2008 it declined to 12.5 litres per adult. There was a further decline in 2009, followed by an increase in 2010 and no change in 2011. ‘The movements in 2009 and 2010 were influenced by the changing level of cross-border purchases of alcohol. Part of the recorded decline in 2009 and part of the recorded increase in 2010
are due to this influence.’ In addition, he says the census of population has been revised upwards for 2011, with further similar revisions due for the years 2007-2011. ‘This will lower the average adult consumption for each of those years, with the revised 2011 figure expected to be 11.8 litres per adult.’ In international terms average consumption increased in several OECD countries but declined in Ireland, we are told. ‘In 2001, the Irish consumption level was the highest of the sample of countries in the OECD. In 2005 it was also the highest. However, by 2011 Ireland’s decline combined with increases elsewhere means that we are now approaching the levels of mid-ranked countries.’ The Director of the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland, Kathryn D’Arcy, states the results are contrary to popular opinion and reveal that ‘consumption of alcohol in Ireland has declined dramatically in recent years. From a health policy perspective, it is of interest to discover what effect, if any, the decline in average consumption over the past decade has had on the incidence of harmful consumption behaviour and on the consequences of alcohol misuse.’ Ms D’Arcy called on the Government to take these findings into account when formulating national alcohol policy.
Table: Average adult consumption of alcohol 2001 to 2011
Average per adult consumption lpa
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011 (estimate)
14.4
14.3
13.5
13.6
13.5
13.5
13.5
12.5
11.4
12.0
12.0
Source: Revenue Commissioners and Central Statistics Office Padraig Staunton and Mishka Moodly at the Heineken ‘Long Story’ launch in the Odeon, Dublin 2
Table: Alcohol Consumption per Adult LPA various years, Sample of OECD Countries
Heineken Reveals ITS ‘Long Story’ Heineken’s ‘Long Story’ ad aired earlier this month, the third and final instalment of the Seize the Moment series created by Irish creative agency Rothco. Heineken says previous ads in the series, Gorgeous and Brief Encounter, have proven ‘incredibly successful continued to build the brand in Ireland’. The Long Story ad, which sees a male Heineken drinker trapped on an express train from Paris to St Petersburg, features Monaghan’s singer-songwriter Ryan Sheridan’s ‘The Dreamer’ as the soundtrack.
2001
2005
2009
Change 2001-2009
Australia
9.6
9.8
10.1
+
Austria
12.8
12.6
12.2
-
Canada
7.6
7.8
8.2
+
Czech Rep
11.8
12.0
12.1
+
Denmark
13.1
12.7
10.1
-
Finland
9.0
10.0
10.0
+
France
14.2
12.7
12.3(2008)
-
Germany
10.4
10.0
9.7
-
Ireland
14.4
13.4
11.3
-
Netherlands
9.9
9.6
9.4
-
New Zealand
8.8
9.3
9.3
+
Norway
5.5
6.4
6.7
+
Sweden
6.5
6.6
7.4
+
Switzerland
11.1
10.1
10.1
-
United Kingdom
10.7
11.4
10.2
-
United States
8.3
8.4
8.8(2008)
+
Source: OECD
Composite average alcohol consumption is derived from aggregating the alcohol content of the different beverages based on Revenue Commissioners’ data and relating that to the population aged 15 and over from the CSO population estimates or where available the Census of Population. Data for alcohol clearances in 2011 are available for January to November. The decline in total alcohol consumption experienced in the first 11 months of the year (0.6%) was reduced to 0.5% for the full year.
BAR
LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD OF THE LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD LICENSING WORLD
YEAR
AWARDS
2012
Leading Drinks Suppliers Sponsor The Licensing World Bar of the Year Awards 2012 launch this month (see entry form included in this issue or go online, www.licensingworld. ie) with the support of leading drinks industry suppliers. The Bar of the Year Awards recognise and highlight excellence within the on trade and the Award’s are supported each year by leading drinks companies that include Edward Dillon & Co, Deep RiverRock, Guinness, Smirnoff, Fáilte Ireland and Bulmers. This year’s Awards have added two exciting new categories, the Craft Beer Award, which is open to pubs that offer a strong choice of craft and imported beers, and the Customer Service Award, which recognises premises that go above and beyond in how they deal with customers and deliver service. The Bar of the Year Awards will culminate in a gala black tie event in Dublin on 26 June, so enter now to be sure of your place at the on trade’s calendar event of the year.
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
NEWS
NEWS
Strong Guinness Sees Global Growth
Bartenders Celebrate 40 Years
Guinness sales have grown by 5% during the first half of Diageo’s current financial year. Despite a difficult Western European beer market, Guinness, which holds a 32% share of the beer market in Ireland, is performing well globally, reports Diageo, and has been supported by the launch of Guinness Black Lager in North America and the brand’s football communication platform in Africa. David Smith, country director, Diageo Ireland, states, ‘it is very positive to see that Guinness is still the best selling beer in Ireland with a strong value share of 32%. The last six months have seen Diageo’s exports of Guinness, Baileys and Bushmills from Ireland grow strongly. This is more good news for the Irish agricultural sector and the economy overall. Our recent e153 million brewing investment announcement at St James’s Gate will ensure exports become even stronger over the coming years.’ Diageo has reported operating profit growth of 9% for the year to date and revenue stood at £7.83 billion. Net profit was £953 million, down from £1.19 billion a year earlier. Tax negotiations resulted in a one-time loss of £524 million. However Diageo reported that the negotiations also promised to keep the company’s effective tax rate at approximately 18%, compared to 21.8% in the last half of 2010. In Ireland the total alcoholic drinks market declined by minus 2% volume for six months to December 2011, while Diageo Ireland maintained its value share of a decreasing market. The company’s key brands in Ireland are Guinness, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and Bushmills.
The Bartenders Association of Ireland (BAI) celebrated their 40th anniversary last month following the National Cocktail Competition held at Food & Bev Live 2012 in Citywest. To mark the occasion, the BAI were joined by members of the International Bartenders Association (IBA), United Kingdom Bartenders Guild (UKBG), Irish Guild of Sommeliers, the Panel of Chefs, Speciality Coffee Association of Europe and by former BAI presidents.
Sarah Kavanagh and Leo Delaney at the launch of the drinkaware.ie Hen & Stag Party Survival Guide which has tips on planning the ideal hen or stag event including 10 original party ideas from surfing to farm activities, reviews of various hen and stag party locations both home and abroad, advice on transport for the weekend, tips on how to pace yourself to ensure you remember the party for all the right reasons plus a handy checklist to ensure everything goes smoothly in the run-up to the Big Day. The guide has been compiled by Irish Brides Magazine and is available to download free on the drinkaware.ie website.
(l-r) President of the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild (UKBG), Daniel Crebesse, joins former BAI presidents Andrew O’Gorman, Joe Connolly, current vice president of the IBA, Ron Busman, current BAI president Declan Byrne, past presidents James Langan with John Farrell and Jim Slavin of the UKBG.
Tullamore Dew Granted Redevelopment
SHORTS: Strong Beam Left Smiling Beam, the new US owner of Louth-based Cooley Distillery, saw net sales rise by 8% last year after an ‘extraordinary year’ with net sales of $2.3 billion. The company’s brands include Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, Sauza tequila, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Teacher’s scotch whisky, Laphroaig single malt scotch, Cruzan rum, Hornitos tequila, Effen vodka, Larios gin, DeKuyper cordials and Skinnygirl cocktails. Bacardi Global Finals Bacardi brought 26 of the world’s most talented bartenders to Puerto Rico this month to compete in the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition. Ireland was represented by Hayden Scott Lambert from the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, who was the winner of the Irish Legacy Final that took place in the Royal College of Physicians last year. 17 New AA Rosettes A record 17 Irish restaurants have received AA Rosette Awards from AA Ireland in celebration of their culinary excellence. The additions represent a 50% increase on the previous season and bring the total tally of recipients to 109 properties.
New Remy Martin Cask Finished VSOP Famous cognac house, Remy Martin, is replacing its VSOP Mature Cask Finish with a newly developed cognac recipe which is 55% Grand Champagne and 45% Petit Champagne eaux-de-vie. Cork based drinks supplier, Barry & Fitzwiliam, will begin distributing the new cognac in March. Finished for a year in small Limousin oak casks of more than 20 years old, and an emphasis on peach and apricot notes in the blend, Remy Martin VSOP Mature Cask Finish will be sold in a clear bottle with a year round gift box. There will be no change to pricing.
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
(l-r) Sarah McGovern with her helper Eunice Ogbeifo launch 2012 National Spring Clean – publicans are being urged to come on board Ireland’s largest anti-litter initiative.
Publicans Urged To Help Spring Clean Organise a clean up in your locality is the message from An Taisce’s National Spring Clean campaign which starts on Sunday 1 April. Funded by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the initiative is looking to engage publicans and all business members of local communities throughout the month of April and free clean-up kits, containing posters, colour coded refuse sacks for waste segregation, protective gloves and tabards, are available through www.nationalspringclean.org The National Spring Clean campaign is sponsored by Coca-Cola Bottlers Ireland and the Wrigley Company. It is also supported by Repak and various Local Authorities.
Corona Light enjoyed two star-studded Irish launches in February, one in Dublin’s The Church Bar and another in The Bodega in Cork. For full details see page 34.
William Grant & Sons, the owners of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey , have been granted planning permission for a multimillion euro redevelopment that will attract up to 40,000 visitors annually. Work is scheduled to begin on the 100-year-old bonded Tullamore Dew warehouse immediately with plans to open the new centre to this summer. ‘The redevelopment of our Visitor Centre into a premium tourist destination for Tullamore and the Midlands will attract visitors from around the world who wish to engage with the whiskey they love,’ said Tullamore Dew Global Brand Director, Shane Hoyne. The centre will draw inspiration from the original distillery and take visitors through the process of creating Tullamore Dew and the heritage of the brand, with opportunities to taste, smell
and feel the various stages of production. The development will also offer meeting and function rooms to host visiting trade and media delegations in its role as the global home of the brand. William Grant & Sons acquired Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey in 2010 and it is one of its six core global brands. Along with Hendrick’s Gin and Sailor Jerry it is marketed throughout the world from the company’s Global Marketing Office in Dublin. In November 2011 William Grant & Sons announced the rollout of a $10 million global integrated marketing campaign, Irish True, as part of its significant investment in the brand. Tullamore Dew is currently the second largest Irish whiskey brand in the world, selling more than 650,000 nine-litre cases annually, or over 8.5 million 700ml bottles.
Business Ideas ✪
RACING LOVERS: Dublin’s Café en Seine hosts a special Cheltenham Preview Evening with Barry Geraghty on 8 March. A similar event last year was highly successful for the award-winning bar and online betting exchange BETDAQ is sponsoring the evening. Champion jockey, Barry Geraghty, who won the Grand National in 2003 on Monty’s Pass, will be offering insight and tips for this year’s Cheltenham Festival and will be joined by a panel of experts including Garry ‘The Voice’ O’Brien from At The Races, Donn McClean, Sunday Times, Newstalk & Racing UK, At The Races pundit Kevin O’Ryan, and Dave Keena, Irish Field & Irish Daily Star. The Cheltenham Festival 2012 runs from 13-16 March. There is no cover charge to attend the event.
✪ Leading champagne house, Moët & Chandon, was the official Green Room sponsor for the recent ninth Annual Irish Film & Television Awards. Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial was served to guests that included Michael Fassbender (pictured), Brendan Gleeson, Martin Sheen, Chris O’Dowd, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Amy Huberman.
FILM BUFFS: Stylish Dublin venue, Lost Society, has launched a weekly film club. Taking place each Sunday from 6pm, the event is free of charge and offers seating for 65 film fans. The award-winning style bar will show a range of Irish films and will support international screen festivals, such as Sundance, by showing world cinema features. More details are available on www.lostsociety.ie or follow @ lostsocdublin on Twitter.
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
NEWS
COVER INTERVIEW
BUSINESS MEETING WITH
ANNA MALMHAKE Anna Malmhake, chairman and CEO, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, is confident that Jameson will reach sales of four million cases this year – after all, why else would she be overseeing the investment of e100 million in the company’s Midleton Distillery ‘This six-month period has proven to be very dynamic and successful for Jameson,’ reveals Anna Malmhake, who took over as chairman and CEO of Irish Distillers Pernod Richard in September of last year. Coming from Sweden, where she was pivotal to the success of vodka brand Absolut, Malmhake has already commented on her intention to grow Jameson into a top 10 global spirits brand. ‘Jameson continues its rise up the list of the world’s elite spirit brands. It is now in its 23rd consecutive year of growth and is experiencing double-digit growth in 40 markets. With sales of over 3.8 million cases achieved in calendar year 2011, we are confident that Jameson will reach its next identified milestone of 4 million cases in 2012.’ Indeed, Jameson is rated as a hot brand by Impact Magazine and is named as one of the most consistent and fastest growing international spirit brands. Commenting on her ambitions for Jameson during the coming decade, Anna says the top priority is to satisfy the growing global demand for the Irish brand. ‘We have announced a e100 million investment in the expansion of our distillery in Midleton, Co Cork. As part of the investment, 60 manufacturing and technical jobs will be created, bringing the IDL’s total employee numbers in Ireland to 560. Earlier this year, we announced a further e100 million investment in a new whiskey maturation facility in Dungourney near Midleton. With this investment, we are confirming Midleton, where the tradition of distilling dates back to 1825, as the global centre of excellence for Irish whiskey production.’ Standing among Ireland’s most successful exports, Anna points out that ‘Jameson is playing its role in the country’s
export-led recovery. As a product that is distilled, matured and bottled in Ireland, a very significant proportion of all the inputs required to produce, distribute, sell and market Jameson are Irish – from raw materials to packaging, manufacturing jobs, sales and marketing resources and shipping.’ She points out that Jameson is currently growing in more than 100 markets around the world – ‘I can only see extra jobs for Irish Distillers and our suppliers and other benefits for the Irish economy flowing from this success.’ It’s not all optimism however, while the off trade continues to grow by 9% in total spirits, the hospitality sector, and the on trade continued to suffer from volume and value declines during 2011. In contrast to Jameson, Anna says, ‘our performance and outlook here in Ireland, and that of the drinks industry, continues to be of serious concern. However, I would like to acknowledge the government’s recognition of the importance of the hospitality sector and its recent jobs initiative – both of which are key to Ireland’s tourism industry.’ Anna believes in a ‘stable domestic market where we can market and promote our brands in a responsible way’, this, she says, ‘is vital to our success, both at home and abroad. As such she is ‘most concerned at the recent suggestions to restrict responsible advertising and sponsorship initiatives for our brands.’ It would be regrettable, she points out, ‘if domestic legislation were to put us at a significant disadvantage compared to our competitors in other markets’.
10 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
Louis Latour Moves To Febvre Fmaily own wine distributor, Febvre and Company, has taken over the agency for Maison Louis Latour in the Republic of Ireland. Louis Fabrice Latour, president of Maison Louis Latour, says a natural synergy exists between both companies. ‘Febvre and Company, with its excellent network in the Irish hospitality industry, will enhance our position as Burgundy’s most renowned brand and help us present our Grand Crus in Ireland’s finest hotels and restaurants. In addition, we aim to establish SimmonetFebvre, our property in Chablis and Henry Fessy in the Beaujolais as domains of the future.’ Maison Louis Latour has a very strong tradition in Ireland and Macon-Lugny, Chablis and Pinot Noir have become firmly established within the Irish market. Commenting on the new partnership, Anthony Alken, managing director of Febvre and Company, said: ‘Louis Latour and Febvre and Company have many synergies and it is
Enda Keogh LVA Chairman & Dublin Publican
Chairman of the Licensed Vintners’ Association (LVA) and one of the great stewards of the Dublin pub trade, Enda Keogh meets NIGEL TYNAN in the spotless surroundings of his city premises, Peter’s Pub, to discuss his term as LVA chairman, the ongoing Dublin Does Fridays marketing campaign and why, despite these difficult times, he remains positive about the future of the Capital’s on trade. n ‘Dublin pubs have never been stronger,
very satisfying that the two companies have come together. Both are family owned companies that value reputation and are committed to serving our customers with quality wines.’
Irish Hotels Among World Best
Three Irish hotels have been ranked among the top 25 places to stay, anywhere in the world. The three Irish establishments, featured in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Hotel awards, are Castlewood House in Dingle, Co Kerry, classed as the best hotel in Ireland, the second best in Europe and the sixth in the world. Meanwhile Loch Lein Country House in Killarney, Co Kerry, and Strandhill Lodge and Suites Hotel in Co Sligo, were also ranked in the top 25.
Ireland Dampens Britvic Results
Strong performance for Britvic in Great Britain (GB) was dampened by double digit decline in Ireland last year. In GB, Britvic recorded carbonates’ revenue growth of 5.8%, led by Pepsi, which substantially grew its market share of the take-home cola market. However in Ireland revenue declined by 10%, with half of this attributed to third-party brands, largely alcohol, which is distributed via the licensed wholesale business where the on-to-off trade shift was especially marked.
we offer exceptional value, great food, we’ve expanded our range of wines and we’re offering customers properly priced spirit-mixer combinations. We’ve overcome the lack of diversity that was once prevalent in the beer category by engaging with microbrewers and international beer importers. We’re tireless in our efforts to ensure a strong future for the on trade in the Capital.’ Such strong sentiment epitomises Enda Keogh’s belief in his chosen profession. A publican all his life, the owner of Dublin’s Peter’s Pub is proud to be a generational publican and has hopes that his children, who currently work part-time in the bar, will follow him into the family business. Peter’s Pub has always been part of Enda’s life, named after his father who purchased the small Dublin premises on 1 Johnson Place over 40 years ago, the pub has remained true to Peter’s and then Enda’s vision of ‘a friendly and cosy pub – a place you simply love to spend your time’. As such the pub is known as one of the great watering-holes of the city and its commitment to quality, service and conviviality has seen it hailed internationally by Lonely Planet as ‘a pub for a chat and a convivial catch up’, a ‘friendly place’ with a uniquely social atmosphere. It was only natural then that Enda Keogh, the person behind such a successful licensed operation, would be called to serve as chairman of the LVA. Now as he comes to the final furlong of his year of service, Enda reflects on what he has achieved and on the Dublin on trade as a whole. ‘Everything in this business comes down to value,’ he explains, ‘and while there’s nothing new in that message we in the LVA are constantly driving it home. Value is all inclusive, it’s everything from the
cleanliness of your bar to the staff behind your counter, value covers the state of your toilets, the food you serve and the drinks you pour. As a publican you give value every time you say hello and goodbye to your customers. If you think value begins and ends with the prices you charge then you’re thoroughly mistaken.’ Indeed, Enda points out that the majority of operators who thought they could ‘weather the storm’ by ‘racing to the bottom’ have learned a harsh lesson as most are no longer in business.
Get Your Pricing Right
‘The issue of price,’ explains Enda, ‘is really an issue of quality. When quality isn’t delivered then price becomes a problem, when quality is delivered you’ll never hear customers complaining about price.’ The LVA, under Enda and the tutelage of previous chairmen, has engaged in significant market research and, he explains, ‘we’ve consistently found that customers do not see price as a major
issue in Dublin pubs.’ While he acknowledges that ‘of course there are some problems’, chief among them the pricing of soft drinks and, likewise, not every toilet in every pub is up to scratch, he says that ‘as a whole the Dublin trade is viewed very positively by customers and negative opinions are very much the exception’. Enda explains that ‘the average barman has about 10 seconds to impress a new customer and those few seconds are what influences that customer’s perception of the bar they’re visiting, it only takes such a fleeting moment for a customer to measure their overall experience. So there’s no room for poor service, whenever possible customers must be greeted when they walk in the door by a contented and personable member of staff.’ One of the unexpected positive repercussions that came from the demise of the Celtic Tiger, says Enda, has been ‘the rise in professionalism among staff who thankfully again see the pub as a good professional career. 8 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 11
COVER INTERVIEW
MAJOR STORY
Last year we welcomed 10 young publicans as new members of our LVA council. These are highly motivated, highly energetic young professional publicans who are incredibly attuned to the needs of the modern on trade. ‘There’s far more stability in the people who are working in the business, and that means we’ve opportunities to better train staff.’ Since last year the LVA has run 15 basic service training courses, in association with Fáilte Ireland, and each has reached capacity attendance – ‘staff have really engaged in the training process, and that’s great news for the future of the Dublin on trade’. Indeed, an advanced service training course is already being considered and Enda is confident that such a programme would prove equally as successful. Currently representing just over 650 pubs in Dublin, the LVA has of course witnessed its share of membership loss as a result of the recession. Yet at the same time Enda, who has been a member of the LVA his entire professional career and who vividly remembers going to his first meeting with his father, says ‘our numbers are holding-up well’ and he is confident the LVA is in tune with the needs of the modern marketplace. He explains that the LVA continues to expend considerable effort in ensuring the Association remains attractive to young, upand-coming publicans by offering access to the right business tools that will help them develop their businesses in the coming years. ‘We’ve been very successful in engaging with young publicans, last year we welcomed 10 new young publicans as members of our LVA council. These are highly motivated, highly energetic young professional publicans who are incredibly attuned to the needs of the modern on trade.’
No ShortTerm Fix
Enda explains that there’s no short-term fix-all solution to any business problem in Ireland, the focus, he says, must be long-
12 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
term. This approach, of building a better future, was one of the key drivers behind the launch of the LVA Dublin Does Fridays campaign and the movement away from allweek industry advertising to a more focused single-night approach. Ongoing, the e1 million Dublin Does Fridays campaign is delivered across outdoor media (25%), radio (25%) and through online activity and social media (50%). ‘At the moment the campaign is up and running for two weeks, but already we’re ahead of our initial projections and that’s extremely positive. You have to remember, Dublin Does Fridays isn’t about filling pubs to capacity every Friday evening, it’s about reminding customers of how attractive it is to relax and enjoy a drink and a chat in a pub environment after work on a Friday and, in the process, hopefully re-instate Friday as a part of the weekend.’ Enda says the entire campaign has only been possible as a result of the ‘generous support’ from the Dublin trade’s core suppliers, and he reminds publicans that ‘there is still plenty of time to engage in Dublin Does Fridays. This is very much an all-Dublin project; we want to encourage every Dublin publican, from city centre to suburban areas, to join this campaign and help us engage with the consumer.’
Responding To Government
Looking ahead, Enda says the issue of curtailing cheap alcohol still has to be tackled. ‘This isn’t an issue that’s going to go away until some form of correct action is taken.’ However the key word here, he says, is correct. ‘The fear is that this Government will act without properly considering the repercussions of its actions, that it will fail to learn from the rash activities of those who have gone before. The idea that a simplistic sales levy can solve society’s problems with alcohol must be put to bed, additional taxation on alcohol is not going to solve the problem of cheap alcohol in supermarkets.’ Stating that the country must ‘wake-up’
and realise that ‘it is the supermarkets that have tarnished the image of the drinks industry in this country’, Enda adds ‘we must move away from talk of simplistic taxation steps, we must look to curtailment of off trade price promotions and the enactment of existing legislation that allows for the separation of alcohol in supermarkets. As a country we’ve become swamped by cheap alcohol, it’s available everywhere you look.’ Enda says the LVA is ‘continuously working on such important matters as we engage with the Government for the good of our members. It’s a difficult process, but it’s an important task – it’s important for the future of pub business and for the future of the staff we employ.’ Getting the Government to understand the difference between how alcohol is consumed and purchased in the pub and how discounted alcohol from supermarkets is consumed irresponsibly at home can be difficult, relates Enda, but he points out that ‘we’ve met with many TDs and Ministers and we’ve found that those with children or with young adults living at home understand the plight of cheap off trade alcohol and how it is affecting Ireland socially’. When David Madigan succeeds Enda in May, he is confident that the LVA will be well served by another great name of the Dublin trade. ‘I also want to express my continuous thanks to all those at Anglesea House (LVA headquarters) – Donall O’Keeffe, Mary Farrell, Bernie Kane and Ursula Sherlock who handles human resources training. These people work continuously for the betterment of the Dublin on trade and their great efforts deserve praise.’ In summation then, Enda says, ‘I simply want the trade to know that I remain confident, people will always want to socialise and to enjoy themselves and the pub is the perfect environment for that. We will and must evolve, but there are still busy pubs in Dublin. The reason is because at the very heart of their business these are pubs that are getting the basics of service, quality and value right. I think that’s the most important thing I can say.’
Government Report
Time To Understand, Accept & Deal With Alcohol In the foreword to the newly published Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy, Tony Holohan, chairman to the steering group, states that ‘Ireland has a long and sometimes difficult association with alcohol. As a society we must understand, accept and deal with the negative consequences that are from our use and misuse of alcohol.’ NIGEL TYNAN reviews the actions recommended in report and details the ‘farreaching and radical’ proposals that are offered. n First it is important to point out that the Steering Group Report plainly recognises that the pub holds a unique role in Irish society. From the outset the pub is hailed as a ‘significant element of the social fabric of communities’ and as such it is acknowledged that the pub ‘may play a role in addressing isolation issues’. It is also pointed out that the alcohol industry and Irish pubs are important components of the Irish economy, contributing to employment, manufacturing, exports and tourism. The alcohol industry, we are told, provided an estimated 50,000 wholetime jobs in 2008 and 87% of these were in the on trade with only 5% in the off trade and 7% in the manufacturing side of the industry. In total e1.5 billion was generated in wages in 2008 and the alcohol manufacturing industry had a turnover of e2.95 billion the same year with exports accounting for e1 billion. Alcohol manufacturing and retail provided e2 billion in VAT and excise revenues to the State in 2008. Of course the on trade has suffered employment decline in recent years and the report states that there was an estimated 26% reduction in employment in the on trade between 2000 and 2008. We are reminded by the report that ‘alcohol is no ordinary commodity’ and while recognising that individuals are primarily responsible for their own behaviour, it is pointed out that the State ‘has a responsibility to preserve and protect public health’. Under the headline ‘harmful alcohol consumption patterns’, the report states that Irish adults binge drink more than any other European
“
A significant shift has occurred in the share of alcohol sales, from pubs to the off trade sector. Particular concerns arise in respect of supermarkets and other mixed trade outlets providing increased availability of alcohol and the normalisation of alcohol among a range of products, and in terms of these outlets using the discounting of alcohol products along with alcohol-based promotions to encourage people into their premises.
country and ‘Irish adults drink in a more dangerous way than nearly any other country’ with 1.5 million Irish adults consuming alcohol in a harmful pattern. According to the report, the average Irish adult drank 11.9 litres of pure alcohol in 2010, corresponding to 482 pints of lager, 125 bottles of wine or 45 bottles of vodka – ‘given that 19% of the adult population are abstainers, the actual amount of alcohol consumed per drinker is considerably more’. The pattern of alcohol purchasing is recognised as having shifted from the pub to off licence sector and in particular the role of supermarkets is a concern. ‘There was a 161% increase in the number of off licences operating between 1988 and 2010 while the number of pub licences decreased by 19%. In 2010 the average cost of a 500ml can of lager in the off trade was e1.77, the average price of a pint of lager in a pub was e4.35 – the off trade accounted for half of the alcohol market share in 2008. However given the cheaper price of alcohol in off licences the volume of alcohol sold was far greater than the traditional pub sector. Much of this increase is put down to ‘significant discounting’ of alcohol products along with price-based promotions to encourage people into stores. Greater exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion ‘predicts both the onset of drinking among young non-drinkers and an increased level of drinking among existing drinkers’, the Steering Group found – however the Alcohol Beverage Foundation of Ireland (ABFI) had it formally acknowledged that they disagreed with this statement. 8
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 13
MAJOR STORY
MAJOR STORY
Government Report
Government Report
The Report’s Recommendations Expressing concern at how the pattern of purchasing of alcohol, from pub to supermarket, has changed in Ireland, and the speed of this change, the Steering Group Report states ‘concern has been expressed at the number of pubs that have closed and the increase in the number of supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol stations selling alcohol’. The report states that a ‘controlled’ pub environment offers more of an emphasis on server responsibility and points out that there are ‘few or no restrictions’ on the amount of alcohol that can be purchased in one transaction in the off trade and ‘there are no controls on the volume or mix of alcohol that a person can consume once purchased’. The overall need to reduce per capita consumption of alcohol, for the health of the nation, should be done so, it advises, in a way that targets purchases in the off trade ‘as it maintains relatively few jobs and generates vastly less tax revenue than the on trade’. Pointing out that regardless of Ireland’s high excise duty regime alcohol remains ‘relatively cheap and affordable’, it is stated that VAT accounts for the vast bulk of tax generated by alcohol sales in the on trade and the VAT per unit is much higher in the on trade compared to the off trade. Excise Rates The report’s top recommendation is to increase the price of alcohol over the medium term to ensure that alcohol becomes less affordable. As such it is advised that excise rates be maintained and higher alcohol content products should be subject to an excise rate increase. ‘Increasing excise duties is one of the most effective methods of reducing alcohol consumption. Low alcohol content beers should be subject to a lower excise rate than full strength beers, a mechanism needs to be identified to ensure lower excise rates translates into a price-benefit that encourages people to drink low-alcohol or alcoholfree alternatives’.
Social Responsibility Levy The introduction of a social responsibility levy, which may include some or all of those involved in the manufacturing, distribution and retailing of alcohol, is seen as a viable way of contributing to the cost of social marketing and awareness campaigns in relation to the health and social harms caused by alcohol. It is advised the levy could also be used as an alternative means of funding sporting events.
The average Irish adult drank 11.9 litres of pure alcohol in 2010, corresponding to 482 pints of lager, 125 bottles of wine or 45 bottles of vodka – ‘given that 19% of the adult population are abstainers, the actual amount of alcohol consumed per drinker is considerably more.
Ban Alcohol Sponsorship While acknowledging the important role the alcohol sector plays in sponsoring large public, cultural and sporting occasions, and noting the previous Government’s findings that ‘support provided by the alcohol industry was integral to the survival of mainstream sport’, the Steering Group says it is important to balance this with the ‘requirement to decouple the association between sports and culture with alcohol in order to protect public health’. As such it is recommended alcohol sponsorship be ‘phased out’ through legislation by 2016. Minimum Pricing & Off Licences The report advises that minimum pricing on alcohol be introduced on a per gram of alcohol basis. Similarly it is advised the annual excise fee for the renewal of off licences be increased. The report agrees with the Government’s stance on not re-introducing legislation that prohibits below cost selling of alcohol ‘due to the difficulties in enforcing such legislation’. Rather it says ‘there should be no price saving from multiple purchases of alcohol – the price of two bottles of wine should be the price per bottle multiplied by two, a six-pack of beer should be the cost per bottle or can multiplied by six’.
Safe Sale of Alcohol ‘We are pleased to say that the Report notes the good work and the positive effect that the pub has on the community and indeed on the economy as a whole and we would like to think that this will continue for some time yet. The pub, unlike the supermarket, provides the appropriate environment within which to serve and supply alcohol and indeed recognises the fact that alcohol is not a product like cornflakes and in fact is a mood enhancing product that needs to be sold accordingly.
The report outlines the negative effect that alcohol can have on society. However, the report underlines the fact that the pub is still the safest and most regulated place in which to consume alcohol. Nonetheless we welcome any recommendation that will help us to make our premises even better for our patrons.’ Minimum Price ‘We welcome the fact that the report has asked for a mechanism to prohibit excessive consumption of alcohol based on price or time, for a legislative basis for minimum pricing per gram of alcohol, that price-based promotions be examined and regulated in greater detail and that segregated areas be used in the sale of alcohol in supermarkets.
14 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
Sidelined by the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy, MEAS says it does not support most of the recommendations of the study and has published its own ‘minority report’. Stating that the Government’s Steering Group refused to
work with MEAS and would not ‘acknowledge the contribution of our organisation and accommodate our considered view on a number of key issues’, MEAS chief executive, Fionnuala Sheehan, says the Social Responsibility Levy will, in effect, be a new consumer tax’. Ms Sheehan says the report ‘is
recommending that the significant investment in drinkaware.ie be swept aside and started all over again. This would make no sense at any time, but is particularly questionable in these financially straitened times.’ She points out that research conducted in January 2011 found that drinkaware.ie
is the ‘top-of-mind’, unprompted website promoting responsible drinking for 74% of young adults and 54% of all adults. However, drugs.ie, the alternative platform recommended by the Steering Gropup Report, was identified by less than 1% of young adults and by less than 1% of all adults.
There was a 161% increase in the number of off licences operating between 1988 and 2010 while the number of pub licences decreased by 19%. the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008 provides for the structural separation of alcohol from other products in mixed trading outlets. The commencement of these provisions was deferred subject to achieving sector-wide compliance to the agreed Code of Practice on the Sale and Display of Alcohol in Mixed Trading Premises which sets out voluntary commitments on structural separation, advertising and training.
The easiest way of addressing the availability of alcohol is to commence structural separation, advises the Steering Group, and introduce a statutory code of practice for the sale of alcohol in the off licence sector. Participation by the licence holder and staff should be a condition of the licensing process. Drink Driving Despite the recent lowering of the
permitted alcohol driving limit the Steering Group advises further measures are needed to ensure drink driving is stamped out. Such activities could include the introduction of appropriate hospital procedures to provide alcohol testing of drivers following fatal/injury collisions and the use of alcohol ignition interlocks as a sentencing option for those convicted of repeat drink driving offences.
Number of licences issued in Ireland 1998–2010 by licence type 1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Pubs
10,395
9,788
7,421
11,272
9,869
9,713
9,946
9,225
9,541
9,402
8,857
9,067
8,393
Off licences*
589
543
361
792
808
785
983
1,070
1,170
1,342
1,487
1,770
1,537
Wine only off licences
483
550
448
1,284
2,023
2,392
2,790
3,026
3,485
3,691
3,718
3,705
3,206
Source: Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy
Structural Separation The report points out that Section 9 of
VFI Welcomes Opportunity To Debate The VFI has responded to the publication of the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy stating:
SIDELINED MEAS AGAINST TAXATION MEASURE
Furthermore, a minimum price on alcohol is something we firmly believe will greatly help towards the safer consumption of alcohol.’ Excise ‘The VFI is disappointed to see that excise levels are once again being examined with a view to an increase. As it currently stands, we pay over three times the EU average in excise on beer and nearly three times the EU average in excise on spirits and this recommendation, coming at a time when our members are under severe pressure to retain staff, retain customers and retain business, is not welcome.’ Advertising & Sponsorship ‘We believe that an outright ban
on advertising will be rendered useless by virtue of the fact that foreign media play such a huge role in Irish media consumption. In addition, an outright ban on sponsorship of sport and other large public events, recommended to be phased out by 2016, could have a hugely detrimental effect on the horse racing industry but also on indigenous sports like the GAA and indeed rugby. The report recommends that a Social Responsibility Levy be imposed on those within the alcohol industry. Our members are paying exorbitant local taxes and charges and now we are expected to go to the well again. Our members are fully burdened and have no capacity to take further impositions.’
The overall need to reduce per capita consumption of alcohol, for the health of the nation, should be done so, it advised, in a way that targets purchases in the off trade ‘as it maintains relatively few jobs and generates vastly less tax revenue than the on trade’. The full report and recommendations of the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy is available online at the Department of Health website www.healthupdate.gov.ie
Drinks Industry Dubs Report A Waste The drinks industry has questioned the validity of key findings in the Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy. Stating that alcohol consumption has fallen 17% in the last decade, and that this downward trend is likely to continue, the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) has
dubbed elements of the report unnecessary with unworkable proposals. ‘If implemented [these proposals] will hit the average consumer who enjoys alcohol responsibly, will impact on the 62,000 jobs and e2 billion in tax revenue that the drinks industry supports across the economy, and will do little or nothing to address
alcohol misuse,’ says ABFI. The recommendation to ban drinks industry sponsorship of sporting and cultural events ‘would be extremely challenging for national and local sporting organisations’ says the ABFI and ‘will leave them starved of revenue for both major international fixtures and for grassroots teams and clubs, while
there would also be a serious decline in major cultural events, festivals, and concerts’. The ABFI added that the report was legally misguided in its pursuit of minimum pricing and that the re-introduction of the ban on below cost selling would be a far more effective means of addressing the sale of cheap alcohol.
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 15
HAVE YOUR SAY...
Irish Producers Can Offer A Competitive Edge Margaret Jeffares, of Good Food Ireland, explains how using the best of Irish produce and working with Irish producers can lead to a unique food offering that customers will appreciate again and again.
n Bite into an apple and what do you taste? Apple for sure. But what else? At some point somebody’s decided to plant the apple tree. On their land. To plan and wait. And when eventually they harvested that particular apple they picked it. OK maybe a machine did, but the principle is what is important here. You’re eating the apple because of what that person decided to do years ago. We have, for lots of complex and understandable reasons, lost this link. Forgotten the relationship between what we eat, the land and the people involved in growing or rearing our food. Many of us have opted instead to see other things as more important. Watching telly, working, travelling, thinking about other things. Now it may have become rather unfashionable to say it, but Ireland is good at growing things. It’s also rather good at rearing livestock. And it’s surrounded by one of the most plentiful oceans in the world. We’re not particularly cheap, but then maybe that’s not such a bad thing. We’re not terribly competitive, and that is a bad thing. And we aren’t hugely good at consistently delivering. That’s not great either. Good Food Ireland has a pretty simple message: Take the best of what we have, treat it with care and respect and sell it to people for a fair price. A fair price to you and your suppliers. Do that and you are doing something special. Oddly enough while it may sound simple, in reality it’s rather complicated. Which is why not many people can do it and we spend more time refusing memberships than we do accepting. Tell me what you had for lunch and I’ll tell you what I mean. A bowl of Irish stew and a local brew? So where did the lamb come from? And the onions? And the potatoes? And the beer? If you are a Good Food Ireland member that might go something like this. The lamb was Connemara Hill Lamb which now is registered in Europe as being an ingredient of outstanding pedigree. Glenilen country butter, to fry the onions in, which came from Tom Murphy down the road. The potatoes came from Eden Farms in Wexford. As for the beer it was Copper Coast and Irish red ale from the Dungarvan Brewing company. Consider the impact. That’s five Irish family businesses you’ve just supported. Now I know the counter argument. Sure
The Publican’s Number ONE Spirit
Vodka is an incredibly popular spirit and, as such, customers expect bars to offer the right choice of premium vodkas as both stand-alone drinks and as cocktail ingredients. Licensing World speaks to vodka expert Ian O’Carroll, brand development manager with premium spirits distributor Edward Dillon & Co, supplier of Grey Goose, Finlandia, 42 Below, Belvedere and Eristoff vodkas, to learn what’s happening in the world of vodka in 2012.
QUESTIONS: n What share of the total (on and off) spirits market does vodka hold? Vodka’s total share is 40.8%, in the on trade vodka commands 39.6% of the spirits market while that percentage rises to 41.2% in the off trade (source: AC Nielsen).
who will pay for it when they can get cheaper down the road? That’s the big debate. But it’s less about price and more about who you want to be. And what you want to stand for. And whether you are proud to be Irish meaning working with your countrymen or lining the pockets of big corporations peddling tasteless industrial pap. Some years ago at a Good Food Ireland committee meeting we were debating the conflict faced by large establishments who might use Irish beef most of the time, but not when it came to functions. One of our longest standing members stood up. It’s quite simple, he said, we’re either about Ireland or we’re not. If we’re not I’m out of here. Two minutes later he sat down. And he’s still with us. Publicans are now in the food business, that means you’re in the people business. At Good Food Ireland our hope is you want to and can work with people who have a food vision. So how does it happen? You need to ask yourself some pretty deep questions. We can do that with you. A sort of workshop. We’ll talk to you about how, what and why you do things. Or might want to. We can put you in touch with suppliers. We can even put you in touch with other operators who will share their experiences and help you. Surprising? You might think so. For us it’s second nature. We work together. Ask anyone in Good Food Ireland and they will tell you a story about how belonging to this group has
helped them grow their business. At our conference and awards this year we had a wide-ranging and stimulating series of debates from a whole range of diverse speakers (see www. goodfoodireland.ie for details). At our dinner during the awards ceremony we had 10 different starters for each table with each one designed around one artisan supplier. Our main course was a simultaneous tasting of cross-breed and Connemara Hill Lamb with Irish-grown vegetables. The cheese course featured some of the most recent Irish artisan cheeses and pudding was based around Wexford’s Killowen yoghurt and Ballykelly Blackcurrants. We have much to be proud of in Ireland. It’s certainly tough business out there, but we have well over 300 businesses succeeding because they are special, different and driven by a very real commitment. A commitment to themselves and to each other. Sile Gorman runs a guesthouse in the depths of Kerry. At this year’s conference she stood up and told the hall just how hard she worked, how much she loved what she did and how proud she was. Several of us almost had tears in our eyes. Give us a call and we can put you in touch with Sile, or Peter or Anthony or Helen or Michael. Or indeed a host of other people all of whom are doing exactly what we stand for every day of their lives. It’s not easy - but it is simple.
Do you want to HAVE YOUR SAY?... if so contact the editor of Licensing World at n.tynan@jemma.ie 16 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
Vodka:
VODKA
So vodka is incredibly important to publicans then? Yes, vodka is the largest selling spirits category in the on trade – it is a category that delivers strong profit margins for the trade. Edward Dillon stock a large range of vodkas, do you cater to all customers? Edward Dillon carries a broad range of premium and super-premium vodka brands in Finlandia, Eristoff, Grey Goose, 42 Below and Belvedere. Each of these brands also offers a range of vodka flavours, which are becoming increasingly popular among bartenders for use in cocktails. What do pub customers look for from a standard pouring vodka? Publicans tend to look for a strong brand name at a competitive price. Although brand-call at the bar in the vodka category is still relatively small, Irish consumers expect to be served a ‘known brand’ when they order a vodka and mixer. Vodka consumers tend to have a favourite brand, which is based on product quality and the brand’s ability to emotionally engage the consumer, than on product taste alone. And from more premium vodkas? Where brand call does exist it is generally at the more premium end of the vodka market. The discerning vodka consumer is willing to pay more for a higher quality product. But don’t all vodkas taste the same? No – the taste of a particular vodka will be
very much a function of two key factors – ingredients and the production process. Vodka can be made from a variety of raw materials, such as potato, grain and sugar beet molasses, which each produce a different style of vodka on the nose and the palate. As part of the Finlandia Finnishing School we conduct a blind tasting with consumers to highlight the subtle differences in vodka styles – from medicinal, to grainy and clean. Consumers invariably come to the tasting thinking all vodkas taste the same, but leave with a favourite style. How essential is it to use the right vodka in cocktails? A great cocktail is made by combining complementary ingredients in the right balance, and vodka cocktails are no exception. It is important to use the correct style of vodka as a base for the cocktail, so that it complements the other ingredients in the drink. The use of flavoured vodka further emphasises this point. And more premium vodkas allow for more premium pricing right? Certainly, you wouldn’t charge a standard price for an aged whiskey, the same is true for premium vodka. The quality of the ingredients and production processes used have a significant impact on the quality of the finished product. So, what makes a great vodka cocktail? Vodka is extremely versatile due to its relatively neutral taste profile, and mixes very well with juices in particular. The key to making a great vodka cocktail is balance of flavours. Will you be supporting your on trade partners with vodka promotions in 2012? Yes, there will be a programme of support across our vodka portfolio, with activities such as the Finlandia Vodka Cup and Eristoff sampling planned for 2012.
Great Cocktails: The Vodka Martini Proudly ensconced within the cocktail hall of fame, the Vodka Martini is one of the planet’s most famous mixed drinks. Regardless of where your personal taste lies, be it dirty or clean, shaken or stirred, straight up or with ice, with or without that olive, the Vodka Martini must be present in some form on every cocktail list – indeed there are many great menus that are devoted solely to varieties of the Vodka Martini. While the Martini was originally a gin-based drink, the vodka version became popular in the 1960s and 70s – spurred on by its image as a sophisticated drink thanks to the likes of James Bond’s preference for a Vodka Martini ‘stirred and not shaken’. While the drink faded for a while in the 1980s, due largely to the rise of sweeter exotic juice-based cocktails, the late 1990s and into the Millennium brought a renewed surge of interest in the Vodka Martini and the rise of speciality Martinis that use flavoured vodka and diverse garnishes ranging 8
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 17
VODKA from pickles to peppers, onions, capers, herbs, onions – practically an endless list. The amount of Vermouth to be added to a Vodka Martini remains a subject of great debate. However, the general rule is the less Vermouth the drier the Martini. Today the most common way of mixing the Vermouth is to coat the ice cubes and then throw out the excess.
Method: Fill your Martini glass with crushed ice to chill. Fill a mixing glass with ice and add Vermouth. Stir to coat the ice and strain out the Vermouth and any residual ice water. Add the Grey Goose Vodka and stir again. Empty the crushed ice from the Martini glass and finely strain your vodka into the glass. Finish with an olive or a lemon twist, whichever the customer prefers.
Martini Success: Four Important Questions
Grape Expectation
When a customer orders a Classic Martini the bartender should ask them four simple yet incredibly important questions: 1. What is your choice of spirit? 2. Would you like it wet or dry? (dictates the quantity of Vermouth) 3. Would you like it shaken or stirred? 4. Would you like an olive or lemon twist? Using the answers to these simple questions ensures bartenders create a customer’s perfect Martini every time. Here are three very different Vodka Martini recipes, courtesy of Alan Kavanagh, mixologist and ambassador of Bacardi brands at Edward Dillon:
Classic Vodka Martini
(My twist on the Martini)
50ml Finlandia Grapefruit Vodka 15ml Benedictine Liqueur 2 dash of orange bitters Method: Fill your Martini glass with crushed ice to chill. Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the Benedictine, orange bitters and Finlandia Grapefruit Vodka. Stir well, empty the crushed ice from the Martini glass and finely strain in the mixture. Finish with a grape fruit zest.
Velvet Martini 20ml 42Below Manuka Honey Vodka 40ml 42Below Pure Vodka 15ml Fino Sherry 3 thin orange zests
70ml Grey Goose Vodka 10ml bar spoon of Noilly Prat Vermouth or Martini Extra Dry Vermouth Olive or a lemon twist
Method: Fill your Martini glass with crushed ice to chill. Fill a mixing glass with ice and add both vodkas and the Fino sherry. Stir well, empty the crushed ice from the glass and finely strain in the mixture. Finish with an orange zest.
Vodka With A Spooky Difference Created by legendary Hollywood entertainer Dan Aykroyd, along with US landscape artist John Alexander, Crystal Head Vodka has become one of the planet’s hottest sprits proving, despite initial skepticism, that this is one serious vodka brand. Since launching the vodka in 2008 Dan Aykroyd has been tirelessly touring the planet promoting this uniquely packaged brand – indeed, he was in London earlier this month for the official UK launch – and has appeared in a series of off-the-wall online promotional videos where he speaks of his long fascination with the legends of the 13 magical crystal skulls that were possessed by Aztec, Mayan and Navajo cultures and how scientists estimate that it took between 300-500 years to carve a single skull from a piece of quartz. ‘Contrary to the common perception of a skull as representing death, the people from these cultures – the Aztec, Mayan and North American First Nations, for whom these artifacts possess sacred and mystical properties – associate the crystal heads with a life-affirming symbology. In ancient tellings, the heads are living and sentient, sources of knowledge, insight and power,’ says Aykroyd. While Dan’s crystal skulls may not (yet) be sentient, it would be wrong to dismiss the liquid contained inside. Crystal Head Vodka has recently been awarded a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, one of the industry’s most prestigious events, after successfully competing against 200 vodkas which entered the competition. Indeed, data compiled from Impact reveals that Crystal Head Vodka reached the one million bottle sales mark faster than Grey Goose, Belvedere and Chopin. Meanwhile, the vodka itself, 40% ABV, is quadruple-distilled and triple filtered through Herkimer diamond crystals and is produced from water sourced from a glacier lake in Canada’s Newfoundland. The spirit is free of any additives.
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A Great Day’s Racing at the
22nd Hennessy Gold Cup n To mark the running of the 2012 Hennessy Gold Cup, guests of Hennessy gathered at Leopardstown Pavilion to witness Quel Esprit’s victorious run under the guidance of champion jockey Ruby Walsh. Quel Esprit is trained by Willie Mullins and the 2012 win represents a remarkable eighth Hennessy Gold Cup success for the trainer. Guests from the drinks, retail and hospitality industries gathered to enjoy a Hennessy cocktail and canapé reception followed by a sumptuous lunch. Those in attendance included Enda Keogh, chairman of the Licensed Vintners’ Association (LVA), Michael McCormack and David Madigan who was the winner of a specially commissioned framed owner’s colours of four time Hennessy Gold Cup winner, Florida Pearl. Other guests in attendance included Louis Fitzgerald, Charlie Chawke, Cormac Deery, Simon Marriot, Jackie Kenny and
Tom Shipsey. John Pearson, managing director of Edward Dillon& Co, commented, ‘this year’s Hennessy Gold Cup was a great event. We were delighted to have so many of our friends in the trade in attendance to enjoy a day of good food, great racing and excellent company’. Hennessy, Ireland’s leading Cognac, has always been a major supporter of horse racing in Ireland. This year’s race marks the 22nd running of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the sixth year of the highly successful Hennessy Best Dressed Lady in association with Design Centre – this year’s winner was Margaret Connolly from Mullingar in Co Westmeath. For further information on Hennessy, please visit www.hennessy.com or log onto the Hennessy Cognac Ireland Facebook page www.facebook.com/ HennessyCognacIreland
(l-r) Carmel Kenny, Andy O’Hara, Cliona and Jackie Kenny
About Hennessy
(l-r) Nigel Duffy and David Chawke
Immersed in Irish heritage, Hennessy has evolved to become one of Ireland’s most well-known and cherished brands. Founded in Cognac, France in 1765 by Corkonian Richard Hennessy, the brand’s distinctly Irish heritage has stood the test of time and today draws upon some 200 years of knowledge, talent, expertise and passion. It is a brand that is intrinsically linked to the Irish way of life and is complemented by Hennessy’s commitment to Ireland’s unique sociability and skill in creating unforgettable experiences. Hennessy’s Savoir-Faire is evident from its unique heritage, tradition and exceptional craftsmanship which create Hennessy Cognac. Though the Hennessy brand has evolved throughout the years, the true art form of its traditions and methods remains timeless.
(l-r) David and Siobhan Riordan and John and Mary Mooney
(l-r) Louis and Helen Fitzgerald with Andy O’Hara
1. 1. (l-r) Charlie Chawke, Andy O’Hara and David Madigan 2. (l-r) John Pearson and Tom Shipsey
20 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
(l-r) Richard Moriarty and Michael Taylor
(l-r) Maurice Hennessy, from Hennessy Cognac with Jackie Kenny
2. (l-r) Tom and Fiona Shipsey and Andy O’Hara
(l-r) John Cassidy and Cormac Deery
(l-r) Michael McCormack and Andy O’Hara
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 21
DUBLIN SOCIAL
LVA
CRAFT & IMPORTED BEERS
Craft & Imported Beers Special
Launch €1 Million Friday’s Campaign n Dublin bar The Bank of College Green was the launch location for the LVA’s new integrated media campaign entitled Dublin Does Fridays. Aimed at attracting consumers back into Dublin bars after work on Fridays, the e1 million campaign, which is being supported by the LVA and industry partners, runs until the end of March. Marketing activity includes radio, print, outdoor and digital and social media, which plays an integral role in the campaign and includes Snug TV featuring television personality, Jennifer Maguire. A team of digital reporters have been engaged to work on the ground identifying Dublin’s hot spots and share live comments through the Dublin Does Fridays blog and Facebook channels. At the launch, Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the LVA, said, ‘Dublin Does Fridays is focused on getting people out on a Friday night and re-energising the city, which is one of the most social in the world. It is all about the emotional benefit of visiting the pub on a Friday and the sense of respite and relaxation you can get from bookending the week in a Dublin pub.’ For more information visit www.dublindoesfridays.ie; Facebook.com/Dublin-Does-Fridays and twitter.com/dublindoesfri.
(l-r) Valerie Rice, Noel Dever, Mary McCabe and Brien Maher, national account manager Coca-Cola HBC Ireland
Dermot Whelan and Jennifer Maguire at the launch of Dublin Does Fridays
Dr Helena Ferris
(l-r) Enda Keogh ,Sarah Deeny, Tom Dunne and Donall O’Keeffe at the launch of Dublin Does Fridays in THe Bank on College Green, Dublin 2
Fiona Dowling, Eoin Dowling, Emma Williams and Joanne O’Sullivan
98 FM’s Dermot and Dave
22 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
Gormla O’Corrain and Carol O’Sullivan
Aoife Reilly, Louise Tierney and Ciara Cummins
2012 Shaping Up To Be The Year of Craft In the first of our specials on the Craft & Imported Beers sector, NIGEL TYNAN asks leading craft beer importers and brewers what can publicans expect from the craft beer market in 2012? n Ireland’s beer market continues to undergo major transformation and publicans are increasingly joining the imported and craft revolution. After all, the message that craft makes good business has settled into the licensed trade. In this month’s Cover Story, LVA chairman, Enda Keogh, says as much when he acknowledged the extent of the diversity taking place in the beer sector and how it is important that publicans continue to widen the range of beers being offered to customers. Dean McGuinness of Premier International, importers of premium beers and wines, believes that publicans should see 2012 as the year they focus on diversifying their beer offering. With a choice of 150 beers, Premier International has ‘a beer for all premises and all markets’, says Dean. ‘We work closely with the on trade to ensure they get their alternative beer option right. There’s no universal list of beers that works for all premises, when we work with licensed premises we advise they begin by offering a list of about 10 beers, this allows them to see what works and what doesn’t. We can then help them push their craft beer range in the right direction and ensure it becomes a profitable component of their business.’ Dean points out that Ireland is moving away from food as an add-on in bars to an on trade culture where bars are primarily food orientated. ‘For publicans, who stock a good range of alternative beer, this is a good development as craft beers work extremely well with food,’ he says. ‘Overall beer consumption is in decline and there’s a very real split these days between customers who are solely interested in value and those who want a quality experience and want to consume quality products. In my mind the sustainability of draft is not as strong as the benefits that can come from switching customers to more premium drinks. We’ve found that customers who drink quality tend to be happier with the value they’re receiving.’ This value satisfaction, says Dean, is a result of both the tasty characteristics of the beer in the bottle and the diminished price difference between on and off trade pricing of craft. ‘Consider a bottle of English ale, in an off licence the pricing will tend to be e3 a bottle, in the on trade that same bottle will likely cost between e5 and e6.
So customers see the value on offer – it’s deal with and supportive of the craft sector.’ a very different proposition from the huge As such plans are underway to bottle discounting of mainstream beers that is Carrig Craft Lager and Sinead is currently taking place in supermarkets.’ testing a new red ale for the pub market, A draft Irish craft lager that is currently which will be available later this year. She in growing demand is Carrig Craft Lager. also points out that she is now fielding calls Since its launch in October last year the from proactive publicans who are interested craft lager has gathered a strong following in stocking better craft options and she has of fans and today the brew is available in recently signed up six new pub accounts. 14 Dublin city premises including Peter’s ‘The artisan beer market is still very small Pub, The Bank on College Green, Doheny – but it is growing rapidly and I think 2012 & Nesbitt and The Palace Bar, while pubs in will be a great year for craft brewers.’ Carrick-on-Shannon and Roscommon have also come on board (for full list of pubs see www.carrigbeers.com). Carrig Craft Lager is the brainchild of husband and wife team Martin Deegan Casked ale, or to use the modern term – current general manager of The Temple ‘cask-conditioned beer’ is currently in Bar – and Sinead O’Connell. The craft growing demand as craft beer lovers are beer-loving couple played with the idea discovering the diverse and rich taste of of developing their own craft beer for a unfiltered and unpasteurised beer that number of years, says Sinead. ‘We could undergoes second fermentation in the cask. see the great advances that were taking This is the most traditional way of serving place in craft brewing, both here and in beer. However to ensure practicality for the England. I had an opportunity to take a modern on trade, leading Co Waterford career break from the financial world and craft brewer, Dungarvan Brewing Company, we decided to go for it and create our own has given the old casked method a modern craft beer that was very much pub-focused.’ twist that ensures each cask lasts ‘many Martin and Sinead have developed a weeks’. range of POS material, glassware and Master brewer Cormac O’Dwyer explains, an attractive font. The product itself is ‘traditionally, casked ales would only remain brewed under contract by Brew Eyed in fresh and in perfect condition for a few Banagher, Co Offaly. ‘Our beer recipe,’ says days. This is obviously not good enough Sinead, ‘came from trial and error. It was for the modern on trade. At Dungarvan our an extensive tweaking process and we’re casks include an innovative gas system that delighted with the end result.’ fills any head space that is left as a result of With a ‘roll up the sleeves and get stuck pulling pints. This system ensures that the in’ mentality, Sinead primarily runs the casked beer remains in perfect condition for business and has a professional installer to many weeks.’ 8 handle service and supply. ‘This is a very artisan business, at the moment we’re focused on the Dublin market. But if a publican wants to try Carrig we’re more than happy to travel.’ Sinead says she has received great support from the on trade since Carrig was launched last year. ‘Publicans understand the need for alternative beer products, we’ve found them very open to The PorTerhouse Brewing Co. 7 Nassau Street Dublin 2 T: 00353 1 671 8558 F: 00353 1 675 W: www.porterhousebrewco.com
Casking The Craft
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 23
CRAFT BEER
CRAFT BEER
Once Off Beer Opportunity
Specialist in importing Belgian, German, British and American craft beers and agent for Porterhouse Beers as well as popular Sierra Nevada pale ale, Grand Cru Beers started 2012 off on a major high. Founder Wally Kearon, to the delight of all Irish beer lovers, managed to gain a once off distribution deal for a container of Westvleteren XII – the world’s greatest beer. Produced by monks in a small abbey in southern West Flanders, Belgium, the beer is not usually commercially available, but there are two exceptions: a small café near the abbey sells a limited quantity of bottles of the beer, and also 60 customers, who must book months in advance, are served
in the abbey each day. As such, this is the rarest of the Trappist beers and it has only been made available to export – strictly once off – as a result of the abbey needing to raise funds for urgent construction work. Kearon, who travelled to West Flanders to meet the monks, says ‘this is a single lifetime opportunity to sample what is most definitely one of the world’s greatest beers’. The 29 brothers who reside at the abbey were required to work round the clock in order to brew enough Westvleteren XII to meet the export target. The result is a pack of six 33cl bottles of Westvleteren XII and two unique tasting glasses. The beer is dark brown in colour with a fruity aroma and deep malts. It’s a big beer, weighing in at 10.2% ABV. Only 70,000 of these Westvleteren XII gift boxes have been made available for export and each costs e50. Wally says ‘the demand we’ve seen for these box sets shows the great interest Irish drinkers now have in world class beers. For sure craft is still only a small component of the overall beer market, but it’s growing rapidly and it’s great to see so many publicans now on board with this movement.’
CHARTING GLOBAL TRENDS IN CRAFT BREWING
Craft Beer with Organic Tendencies
US breweries are harvesting their own crops of organically grown barley and hops in order to produce eco-conscious beers with the unique attributes of the soil – but isn’t this what the French call terroir?
In food circles, hormones, pesticides and genetically modified crops have become as feared as the bogeyman and have been identified by health reports as a possible cause of diseases. In response, we are now awash with products shouting to be natural, organic, and green. However, such adjectives can seem odd when applied to beer. The US is currently leading the green beer charge, most notably the west coast, with the strongly established US craft beer sector attempting to lure health conscious beer drinkers away from mainstream brands towards their own small batch green brews
– often made with the brewer’s own hops and malts. ‘Foods like organic yogurt and granola are meant to be healthy, but beer is a guilty pleasure,’ explains Mike Cadoux, from one of America’s leading organic beer makers, Peak Organic, ‘so how is organic beer supposed to be good for you?’ A century ago, beer was organic by default, but over time the essential raw ingredients of brewing – malt and hops – became as chemical laced as waxy, mealy apples. The thing is, ‘brewers of quality beer don’t need to use chemicals,’
A range of bottle-conditioned, unfiltered beers traditionally hand crafted using malt, hops and barley. For information on stocking our beers please contact sales@dungarvanbrewing company.com or call 058-24000 24 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
says Steve Parkes, owner of the American Brewers Guild and former head brewer at Wolaver’s Organic Ales, a brewery that’s helped define all-natural beer since 1997. To be organic, 95% of a beer’s ingredients must be stamped organic by the US Department of Agriculture (signalling they were grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides), and brewers cannot use synthetic ingredients, such as siliconebased antifoam agents. The results are unadulterated brews that ‘show beer drinkers that you don’t have to sacrifice flavour to save the planet,’ says Steve Parkes.
The delicate hop plants sprout from stubs to twisting bines in two weeks, offering insects a tender, irresistible feast. Moreover, hops are susceptible to fungi and mildew, which makes it tough to grow them pesticidefree, especially in cool, wet climates. As a result the majority of organic hops hail from New Zealand, where hop-hungry pests have yet to reach. In addition to the problem of finding a sufficient inventory of organically grown hops, there is also the issue of flavour. ‘The first couple of batches of Chinook hops I tasted weren’t equal to the non-organic version,’ explains Daniel Del Grande, brewmaster of California’s Bison Brewing. He held high hopes for organic Mount Hood and Willamette hops, but found ‘they weren’t all that flavourful. They were more muted.’
What’s the Source?
As a result, one of the ways in which American organic brewers are setting themselves apart is by focusing on unorthodox flavors. In Santa Cruz, California, Uncommon Brewers – certified 100% organic – brews off-kilter elixirs such as Golden State Ale, which is made with toasted poppy seeds, and Siamese Twin Ale, a Belgian-influenced beer with a Thai twist, thanks to the addition of organic Kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass. The company’s co-founder, Alec Stefansky, says ‘we’re not making spiced beer; we’re
making beer with spices’. However, relying on such kooky organic ingredients can backfire. In 2010, Uncommon’s Kaffir stock ran low because the suppliers’ harvest was quarantined due to an insect infestation. Also, when the craft brewery first produced its Bacon Brown Ale, made with cured pork, it was unable to use the organic label as the meat wasn’t certified organic. Even when supply problems are solved, brewers still need customers to consume these organic suds, a product not considered ‘macho,’ says Mike Cadoux. In America, he adds, ‘this is an ongoing challenge’. Plus, there’s the question of consumer knowledge, ‘when I talk about organics in South Carolina, I get these blank stares.’ Then there’s cost. Since organic malts run two to three times the cost of conventionally farmed grains, and hops double, brewers’ margins are pin thin. ‘I have to charge more for the beer,’ says one organic brewer, ‘I have to hope that consumers understand that an organic product costs more.’ High costs, issues with crop availability, thin margins – these sound like insurmountable hurdles for organic beer. However, ecofriendly brews are making a living, the Organic Trade Association says organic beer sales have doubled since 2005 and increased sales have led to a domino effect on the growers’ end, leading to more acreage of organic hops being planted. The increased bounty means organic brewers can now release double IPAs, a hop-intensive style that would previously not have been possible due to availability and cost. Yet, as always, the golden rule is taste – and that will have the final say. You might get a customer the first time with the organic seal, but they’re not going to come back unless the beer is good – success depends on producing delicious beer that just happens to be organic.
‘Ireland’s LARGEST selection of international beers’ Cremin & Radley Unit 2, Churchtown Park, Churchtown, Midleton, Co.Cork, Ireland T: +353 21 4639270 F: +353 21 4638754 E: info@crdrinks.com
Ireland’s
longest established Premium Beer experts
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and discuss how we can help you turn the
Premium Beer opportunity The above article was compiled from excerpts from Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World’s Craft Brewing Revolution, authored by Joshua M Bernstein and available from Amazon and all good bookshops.
into profit
Premier International Clonard, Enfield, Co. Meath. Tel: +353 (0) 44 93 75312 www.premierinternational.ie / www.beerheaven.ie
W
agrees that 2012 is shaping up well for the craft beer sector. ‘We’ve already enjoyed a positive start to the year. I think craft will continue to build as will public knowledge of craft. The amount of beer we’re supplying to the on trade is continuing to grow and that’s positive for us and also for publicans who are really engaging with craft.’
ERHEAVEN.CO .BE M WW
COVER MORE A DIS T
Each nine gallon cask yields 72 pints, says Cormac, and these modern casks can also be easily stored in cold rooms. It takes between two and four pulls of the hand pump to fill a pint glass, explains Cormac, who adds, ‘we’ve found that cask beer becomes a real talking point in pubs. When customers see one of these pints being pulled you can be sure they’ll want to try one next.’ Cormac says there can be a false perception that casked beer is flat or cloudy. ‘The process of secondary fermentation in the cask brings the beer to life – so it does have bubbles – the yeast falls to the bottom so you’re left pulling a lovely clear beer.’ The ‘charm of craft’, says Cormac, comes from the fact that every cask can be a unique experience. ‘The artisan nature of craft means that you will have very slight variation from each cask, and that’s a real talking point for beer loving customers. We bottle and cask the same Helvick Gold Blonde Ale – yet we often hear our customers telling us that the hops come through in a very different way in the cask. It’s that variety that makes craft such an exciting addition to the pub environment.’ Looking to the year ahead, Cormac
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 25
CRAFT PUBLICAN
CRAFT PUBLICAN
Galway Craft Publicans Open Fifth New Bar Opening their fifth bar this month, and with another on the way very soon, Galwegians Niall Walshe and Jason O’Connell have found customer appeal and success despite the downturn by offering their clientele a large choice of craft beers, simple quality food at attractive prices and bar furnishings that are traditional and comfortable. NIGEL TYNAN meets half of the duo, Niall Walshe, in his new Dublin city premises, The Black Sheep. Galway publicans Niall Walshe (pictured) and Jason O’Connell recently opened their fifth new craft beer focused pub.
n Situated on Dublin’s Capel Street, the newly opened craft beer bar, The Black Sheep, rests on a city centre location that, during its recent history, has borne witness to a mesmerising list of pubs and late night venues. None, however, have worked. Despite numerous publicans and managers attempting to make the site work, despite waves of promotions, themes and openings, none have been able to turn this corner premises into a successful drinks enterprise. It has, truth be told, been labelled by many as one of those ‘unlucky places’, a site that no publican can crack – if you’re interested in opening a new pub, best move on and find somewhere else. Niall Walsh, however, part of the publican duo behind The Black Sheep, laughs at this superstitious nonsense. Open just under a month, The Black
26 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
Sheep, he explains, is already a successful undertaking. Going by the track record of Niall and his business partner Jason O’Connell, it is possible to believe that these two Galwegians will succeed where so many have faltered – for turning failed locations into thriving hospitality businesses is something of a speciality for these publicans from the West. Take, for instance, their other Dublin city premises across the Liffey on Wexford Street. Again it is a corner location and again it was once labelled unworkable, even garnering the ominous nickname of ‘corner of death’, says Niall. ‘It was just after we opened in fact that we heard that nickname, we were told previously of the history of the premises and that no-one could make it work. But we couldn’t make sense of that, it’s in such a great spot.’ Niall and Jason
opened the aptly named Against The Grain in September 2010 and, according to Niall, ‘we haven’t looked back once – it’s been a resounding success’. Then there’s The Cottage Bar in Galway City – ‘people also thought this site was cursed’, says Niall, ‘it went through eight tenants in only 10 years. But we’ve turned it into a thriving bar by offering the right choice of surroundings, atmosphere and drinks products. The Cottage Bar has 18 draught beers on tap and only seats 45 people – so it’s unique and our customers love that.’ In total Niall and Jason operate five bars, they’ve built this mini-group over the last eight years, consisting of three in Galway – The Cottage Bar, Salthouse, Oslo – and Against The Grain and The Black Sheep in Dublin. All premises are leased – ‘for the times it’s the right
business model, we’re not tying up vast sums of capital in purchasing, leasing allows us freedom in how we operate’. This approach, says Niall, has also allowed them establish their own microbrewery in Galway Bay Brewery, which they opened in 2009. ‘The brewery was a natural addition to the business,’ he says, ‘when we took over the lease of the Oslo in Salthill we found we had a 5,000 sq.ft building on our hands. Such a large pub didn’t suit us, so we decided to transform half of the building into our own microbrewery, with the pubs we already had the perfect platform to brew and profitably sell our own beers.’ Today Galway Bay Brewery – a bay theme runs throughout their products – produces Strong Porter, a 5% ABV stout, Bay Ale, a 4.6% red ale, and Strange Brew, a 4.6% pale ale. ‘Our long-term aim is to become a specialist in Indian pale ale, we’re currently perfecting our recipe and we intend to launch Full Sail pale ale once we’re 100% happy with what we’ve got.’ Back to the pubs then, the newly opened The Black Sheep is a medium sized bar ‘but is large for us’, says Niall. ‘Big pubs don’t suit what we do, I don’t think they suit the craft market, if you’re selling 40 kegs of Guinness a week then craft beer probably won’t work for you. We want modestly sized bars, we want to offer a large choice of craft beers,
from Irish microbrewers and from leading importers. We want to couple these flavoursome beers with good food that is well-priced.’ Niall – who is a trained chef and who alternates his time between the kitchens of each bar while Jason handles the front of house side of the business – says pricing is the ‘number one concern’ when it comes to a successful pub food business. ‘We keep all our lunches at the e6 mark and our most expensive evening meal is e12. At the same time we make our own chips and use fresh ingredients. To offer these prices we’ve very focused on our costs and we offer simple choices on our menus, we don’t scrimp on quality but keep our ingredients down wherever possible.’ The beer, of course, is the main event at each of Niall’s bars. As well as working with major international beer suppliers, Niall works with 16 Irish microbrewers, generally on a three-month basis of stock rotation. The Black Sheep, for instance, offers 20 different beers on tap and two cask beers. Major sellers right now include Galway Bay Brewery’s own porter and red ale plus Galway
Hooker, Metalman pale ale, cask ales from Dungarvan Brewing Company and beers from Trouble Brewing. Each Friday evening, meanwhile, Against The Grain runs ‘meet the brewer’, an event where an Irish brewer is invited to present one of their beers to customers who receive samples free of charge. Such events are ‘incredibly popular’, says Niall, and ‘we’re frequently at capacity’. ‘We’re beer fanatics so we enjoy what we do, the craft beer market is growing because more and more customers are becoming interested in the diversity and huge flavours offered by craft. We will continue to grow in this market – I think our story is very positive and for the pub trade that’s very encouraging. It’s not all doom and gloom after all.’
‘when we took over the lease of the Oslo in Salthill we found we had a 5,000 sq.ft building on our hands. Such a large pub didn’t suit us, so we decided to transform half of the building into our own microbrewery, with the pubs we had the perfect platform to brew and profitably sell our own beers.’ LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 27
WINE
WINE
Argentina: The Sleeping Giant Has AwakenED With Argentina wine exports having tripled in the last decade, Andrew Maidment of Wines of Argentina explains why Argentinian wines are in high demand globally and advises all Malbec wine lovers to set their sights on the rapidly rising tide of Torrontés – a white Argentine grape.
How have the wines being produced been affected? The simple answer is that knowledge and learning has dramatically increased quality and the pace of this does not appear to be stopping. Winemakers are encouraged to innovate and experiment and this has also led to the wines being produced being inherently interesting. Sometimes New World wines are described as being ‘generic’ – this is not a claim that can be levelled at Argentina.
The sleeping giant that was the Argentine wine export industry has woken up in recent years – is this the case? It is true that Argentina was referred to as the ‘sleeping giant’ in the past and you could see why – it was the world’s fifth largest wine producing country yet only a very small percentage of that wine was leaving Argentina’s shores. However, the past 15 years have seen huge levels of investment in the wine industry from within Argentina as well as from foreign businesses looking to capitalise on Argentina’s fantastic grape growing conditions. We have seen unprecedented growth in the 2000s. In 2011 Argentina exported over $700 million worth of wine, this compares to less than $200 million in 2002. We now export wine to over 150 countries around the world and you will find wine from Argentina in every possible location, from supermarkets to gastropubs and Michelin Star restaurants. Andrew Jefford has recently referred to Mendoza being the wine world’s ‘field of dreams’. I think that is perhaps a more relevant term today than the sleeping giant of the past.
How do Argentinian wines typically vary from province to province? Argentina’s wine map is really in ‘3D’, with wineries going from North to South (in Latitude) and High to Low (in Altitude). This means that each province has extremely different characteristics that obviously impact on the wines produced. For example, how does a Malbec grape grow at 3000m in Colome (Salta) while at 250m in Rio Negro (Patagonia). The answer is very differently. The regionality is therefore very pronounced. I would recommend any reader to seek out three different Malbec and conduct a tasting for themselves at home. Choose one Malbec from Salta, one from Mendoza and one from Patagonia, I am certain they will notice a big difference. As a final guide it is important to note that the Argentine wine regions span over 2000 km from north to south. In European terms therefore Argentina would represent not one but a collection of countries – this is how regionality should be viewed.
The days of Argentina mass producing rustic table wines have been left behind? I think we can safely say those days are a thing of the past. The words Argentina and wine inevitably lead to Malbec – is this close association a good thing? Absolutely – quite apart from Malbec producing distinctive and consumer friendly wines we cannot forget that we operate in an incredibly competitive worldwide marketplace. As such, to have something unique and special to our country is a huge advantage. New Zealand has it with their version of Sauvignon Blanc, Australia with Shiraz, California with Zinfandel. It’s not the only thing each country does, but it is something that it does very well and that is recognised by consumers. Malbec is a point of difference that acts as a window into the world of Argentine wine. Once consumers discover one wine from Argentina they will therefore be more open to trying others.
Low alcohol wines are the ‘big buzz’ of the moment, and dealcoholised wines, such as Torres Natureo Red, are gaining in popularity.
What other grapes are most commonly cultivated? Argentina is very lucky in that we also have a unique white grape – Torrontés – that is also beginning to get some great recognition and I am sure we will see this variety introducing even more consumers to Argentina going forwards. Torrontés produces white wines that are aromatic, floral and extremely fresh. Great summer drinking wines that also work extremely well with more spicy foods. Then
country once again. Argentina is also no longer a country dominated by a few large wineries producing mass wines. Instead it is a country with a booming community of small and medium-sized wineries run by young, dynamic and open minded winemakers who are eager to show the world how Argentina has progressed.
there is Bonarda – not to be confused with the Italian variety of the same name – here is Argentina’s next red to watch. Second in production volumes behind Malbec, Bonarda produces fruity, easy drinking wines that are excellent value. What important developments have taken place in the Argentinian wine industry in recent years? I don’t think that it would be an exaggeration to say that Argentina has probably experienced more wine industry investment in the last 10-15 years than any other wineproducing nation. Investment has led to an extremely important period of research into what makes Argentina’s grape growing ‘terroir’ unique. Led by companies such as Catena Zapata, Zuccardi and Penaflor we now have far more insight into questions such as ‘what happens to grapes when they are grown at higher altitudes?’ We have also seen the birth of new and re-birth of older wine regions. Take for example Patagonia, once the country’s second largest producing region, but by the mid-1990s largely neglected in favour of other fruit crops. However, research and investment since 2001 has seen Patagonia become one of the most interesting wine regions in the
In recent years we’ve witnessed consumers move away from the big and bold New World flavours and return to the subtle and understated, how are
Argentinian producers adapting to changing taste profiles? I would describe Argentina’s wines as ‘New meets Old World’. Indeed, if you look at most of the traditional winemaking families you will find that they hail from either Spain or Italy – with their families often only arriving just over a century ago. In addition, much of today’s inward investment still comes from Spain, Italy and France. The Old World influence is therefore extremely great in Argentina and that certainly has an impact on the wines produced. Many of Argentina’s newest wine regions are situated in cooler, higher altitude regions or the lower, more southerly regions. The climactic conditions in these regions are especially suited to the production of more ‘elegant’ and ‘complex’ wines – characteristics that are sought by all Argentine winemakers today. Is the rising trend in Western Europe for low alcohol – or de-alcoholished – wine being catered for? Argentina can only – and should only – produce wines that are a product of its climate, the key to great wines is balance and this is what winemakers are seeking to achieve, as opposed to artificially altering wines – a process that risks losing the identity and ‘sense of place’ that makes wine such an interesting drink. How are Argentina’s export sales faring right now? Exports are doing extremely well. In 2011 they were up worldwide by 10.4% in value, breaking the $700m mark for the first time. In the face of the worldwide economic crisis this shows that there is great consumer demand for our wines and this bodes well for the future. The top five markets are the USA, with 6.5 million cases years, Canada, with 2 million cases, Brazil, 1.82 million cases, the UK, 1.5m cases, and The Netherlands, with 1.2 million cases. China is our fastest growing major market with 50% growth in 2011. Malbec continues to perform strongly, with exports up 7% in 2011, however the most interesting variety to watch is Torrontés with 22.5% growth in 2010.
Italy’s Luxardo Liqueur Range Comes To Ireland Italy’s largest liqueur brand, Luxardo, arrives in Ireland this month courtesy of Classic Drinks in Cork. The family-owned Luxardo wine, spirits and liqueur company, one of the few completely independent alcohol firms remaining, opened in 1821, making it one of the oldest European firms producing alcohol. Since transferring to Torreglia near Venice in Northern Italy in 1947, due to the consequences of the Second World War, Luxardo has grown to become one of the leaders in the liqueurs market manufacturing classic Italian liqueurs such as sambuca, flavoured sambucas, amaretto, grappa and limoncello. Best known is Luxardo’s Maraschino Cherry liqueur which arrives in that easily identifiable straw coated bottle. According to Luxardo, Maraschino was a key ingredient in the original Martini cocktail which was devised in California in 1860 after the Gold Rush. Maraschino is a 32% ABV liqueur and is one of the few liqueurs produced by distillation. It comes from the marasca, a sour cherry variety cultivated by Luxardo. The distillate is allowed to mature for two years in Finnish ash vats – the wood does not lend its colour even after many years of maturing – and the clear liqueur is then diluted and sugared. The result is a smooth but sharp liqueur with a round taste. Luxardo says Maraschino can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, as an after dinner drink, or with iced tonic water, orange juice or even added to coffee. It also works well as a cocktail ingredient in such classics as the Cuba Libre, Daiquiri, Screwdriver, Derby Royal, Cider Cobbler, and Gilmore Punch.
Wine Times BODEGAS MURIEL CRIANZA
Bodegas Muriel comes from the Rioja Alavesa wine growing region in Northern Spain. Julian Mura, the winery’s current owner is the 4th generation of his family who have been making superb Rioja wines since the early 1900’s. Bodegas Muriel Crianza has 100% Tempranillo grapes that have spent a minimum of 6 months in the oak barrels and 12 months in the cellars before being released. This beautiful Rioja has a sparkling cherry colour with a strong berry and vanilla aromas. It is full flavoured & smooth with a gentle oak presence.
28 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 Red Berries
Vanilla
Tobacco
Prunes
MixedSpice
Dates
Unit 5 OC Commercial Park, Little Island, Cork, Ireland T: 021 451 0066 F: 021 435 5504 W: www.classicdrinks.ie E: info@classicdrinks.ie
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 29
REFURBISHMENT & OUTDOORS
Designer Questions with a
Bamboo
Offers Natural Beauty & Design
Award-winning specialist in pub and hospitality design, Audrey Gaffney, of Be Design, answers our questions on how to make the most from design in 2012.
I think I need to refurbish but can’t afford to spend a lot of money – what would you advise? It is a myth that you have to spend a lot of money to make your premises feel different and more appealing to your customers. The trick is to spend the money correctly. For those with a very small budget, look at your premises through the eyes of your customer and ask yourself: 1. Can I use paint to give the place a quick face lift? 2. Could directional signage help my customer? 3. Does the furniture need to be placed differently? 4. Are the toilets clean, with soap, hot water and clean towels? How do I create a comfortable mood for midweek and a party atmosphere for the weekend? This is easy to do with the right advice. The first thing to consider is your lighting, because that’s how you create mood. Any atmosphere can be changed with the correct lighting. A good dimmer pack with scene selection ability will allow you to set the lighting levels for different times and create whatever mood Designed by Be Design: you want without your Willsboro bar, Derry staff having to remember to change it when you’re not around. A good tip is to keep lighting at a low level if your ceiling is low by using table lamps and lighting in the floor. My food business is growing – how can I ensure food orientated surroundings without losing the atmosphere of my pub? We get asked this question a lot and have designed solutions for a Designed by Be Design: Waterfoot bar in the White Horse Hotel, Derry
30 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
number of pubs that are growing the food side of the business. As well as lighting, my top tip is to consider the seating arrangements to ensure comfort and privacy for the diners in a way that does not change the pub’s atmosphere. High seating is great for dining or for sitting to enjoy a drink. However, it is important to ensure that tables are large enough to serve food on. Seating should be flexible and able to accommodate large or small groups of diners. If the table tops are being changed, consider going for square or rectangular shaped tables which can be pulled together for larger parties. I recommend that you create a ‘servery’ area; this is where staff members can collect menus, cutlery and napkins quickly. Do not keep them on the bar’s counter top – which I see all too often. Your servery can be a stand-alone unit on wheels, allowing it to be moved away after food service, or it can be a fixed unit that also houses the till and can be closed off after food service is finished. Overall, allow for the easy flow of food moving from the kitchen to the customer without disturbing those who are there for a drink only. I’m thinking of turning my upstairs into a function area – what design should I go for? The first thing to do is to consider what type of parties or functions you are going to be hosting. I advise my clients to make the room as flexible as possible. This can be done by keeping the decoration neutral, that way colour changing lighting can be used to transform the room’s atmosphere at the flick of a switch and be sure to install dimmable lighting for flexibility. The design should not be completely out of character from what the customer sees downstairs unless you really do want two types of businesses. My smoking area is quite basic, what should I be offering my customers? At Be Design we’ve found that nightclub owners don’t want their customers to spend a lot of time in the smoking area, they want them back inside creating the atmosphere. Pub owners, however, want a comfortable area where smokers can relax and enjoy their drinks. Overall your smoking area should be clean and simple and consider funking up the décor with an unusual talking point, something like a digital wall covering, and install a good efficient heating system, comfortable seating and controllable mood lighting. Advice from a designer can save you from wasting cash on something
that won’t last an appropriate length of time. Importantly, a qualified designer can deal directly with environment officers and ensure your enclosed area is within regulations. Heating the outdoor area is costing me a fortune – can I reduce this cost? The answer is yes – have the area and heating system reviewed by a professional to see where savings can be made. It may be the heating system is too old or the way the outdoor area is set-up is causing the problem. The installation of windbreakers or artificial planting will reduce air movement and you could consider offering little blankets to keep customers warm during the colder months. They do this in Denmark to great effect – you may find that people enjoy the novelty of sitting outside with them. I’ve heard female customers complaining about the smell in my toilets – what should I do? Pub owners are aware of ‘attract the ladies and the guys will follow’ theme and toilets are especially important to female customers – we like them to be clean, well presented and functional. Do you offer space for putting down handbags? If so, this area should be separate and away from the sinks. Ensure that lighting is good and adequate, not too bright, not too dim and never install blue lighting – there’s no point in scaring away your customers. Don’t just stick with the regular style of cubicles, at Be Design we constantly seek to put style into the toilets while renovating, it’s one place you can guarantee the customer is going to see while they’re on your premises. I’ve never used a design consultant – what value do you bring? I suppose that’s a question you should put to my customers, I believe we at Be Design bring value to our customers. We get a huge number of customers coming back to us with more projects or referring us to other people and our clients see us as an important business partner in growing their business and brand. We advise them on concepts, designs and finishes and we also manage budgets and time-frames so they can be at ease during renovations and not bogged down in detail. Our aim is to ensure that the client’s design brief is adhered to and enhanced to achieve results beyond their expectations; we do this by listening to their requirements and investigating the needs of their customers.
The use of natural bamboo, whether to rejuvenate an outdoor area or to add a unique design to an indoor space, is an easy means of adding immediate appeal. Martin McNulty of Bamboo Suppliers Ireland is currently working with publicans and hospitality companies, landscape contractors and a wide range of clients, supplying and installing bespoke bamboo features that range from dividing screens, be they in the garden or restaurant, to purpose built items, once off design features, cutlery holders and table sets – he’s even crafted bamboo Christmas trees and festive displays. After witnessing the versatility of bamboo while travelling abroad Martin realised that an opportunity existed in Ireland for this unique material. Stating that ‘bamboo is a hugely versatile and natural product to work with and a beautiful wood to be around’, Martin points out that bamboo can easily be integrated into any environment, be it to cover unattractive concrete walls, steel support beams or even table legs. Best of all bamboo comes with a choice of different bamboo poles to give a welcoming and warm finish. Indeed, bamboo is the perfect material for creating al fresco dining areas. ‘We have recently completed an outdoor coffee area
that has rejuvenated what was a drab and wasted space. Bamboo screens easily provide a privacy barrier without completely shutting off your customers.’ While Martin and his team have gained expert experience working with bamboo, he is happy to assist contractors, designers and individual clients to integrate this versatile product into their project. ‘We view every job individually and are delighted to supply and work with your nominated contractor, shop fitter or carpenter,’ says Martin. Bamboo Suppliers of Ireland are based opposite Peamount Hospital on Lock Road, Peamount, Co Dublin, where the public can view a large range of bespoke bamboo designs, bamboo pole types, various screen options and ‘come away totally convinced that this is a material that can add to your establishment’, says Martin. Bamboo Suppliers of Ireland’s work can also be seen at the Havana Nightclub in Trinity Bar on Dame Street, Dublin 2, The Goat Bar and Grill, Goatstown, Dublin 14, The Gibson Hotel, The Point Village, and each year in the Body & Soul Arena of Electric Picnic, Stradbally, Co Laois. For more information and examples on how this may be of interest visit www.bamboosuppliers.ie or find them on Facebook.
LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 31
TRAINING
FOOD FOCUS
Selecting Trainers to Successfully Manage Food Safety n Publicans and bar managers have a legal requirement to ensure staff involved in food preparation and service are adequately trained and/ or supervised. Managing food safety successfully is required to meet the high standards set by law and managers and proprietors are responsible for encouraging staff to practise high standards of food hygiene. As such it is important key food staff are kept informed and up-to-date on all relevant changes in food safety requirements. Although most management teams will usually decide to delegate the day-to-day demonstration of the foods safety skills to fellow employees, they still have an obligation to ensure that staff have the necessary skills and authority to carry out required tasks plus the necessary support and resources required. Commercial viability The incorporation of rigorous food safety management practices are essential to the commercial viability of a bar as they will: •Assist the bar in becoming more efficient, competitive and profitable •Help to raise performance standards •Assist in reducing overall wastage •Assist in the production of safe food •Comply with food legislation •Promote a good company image •Increase staff morale and improve staff retention.
Author and winner of numerous national and international industry awards, James Murphy is a former education chairman of the International Bartenders Association (IBA) and he has managed in the bar and beverage industry for over 25 years. James holds Masters Degrees in Hospitality Management and Higher Education and currently lectures fulltime in Bar Management at the Dublin Institute of Technology, School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin 1.
Food safety trainers Bars have traditionally used external training providers to provide food safety training, however many bars are now looking to build competence within their establishment by equipping managers with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide the required training to staff. If managers are to fulfil the role of food safety trainer properly they should have a background in food safety (successful completion of a food safety management course, advanced food safety course), knowledge of how people learn and the relevant training skills required. Outlined below is best practice advice as recommended by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) which bar owners can use to assist them when deciding whether to use their own managers or an external training provider: Do they have an appropriate qualification? The person delivering the training needs to have an appropriate level of technical knowledge. Relevant experience in the food industry may be of benefit when addressing food operation issues in your bar. What type of follow up support will they provide? The success of training depends on how it is implemented in the workplace. Post-training follow up is beneficial as it assists in the implementation of the knowledge and helps clarify any issues that have arisen since the training was provided. One benefit of having your manager as the trainer is that they can support and encourage the transfer of knowledge amongst staff members in the workplace on a continuous basis. Do they encourage owner participation? Proprietors should be familiar with and have ownership of their food safety training programme, it is important that the
32 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
trainer (manager) and owner work together to ensure that all food safety aspects relating to their business are addressed in the training. Additional considerations if selecting an external consultant: Is the training provider interested in identifying your company’s specific needs? Are they willing to spend time with you in your premises, listen to you and explain the best method of meeting your bar’s requirements? How will the training provider assess your training needs? Will they visit your bar – are you happy they will be capable of assessing your current practices and meet personally with staff and management? Will they adapt their material and delivery method to meet your needs? The success of the training provided is dependent on how relevant the materials and delivery method is to your company. Are they willing to show you some of their training aids or previous work? This will give you an indication of the quality of work you can expect to receive. It also allows you to assess whether the training provided is generic, or tailored to suit your bar’s needs. What do some of their previous clients say about them? Talking to some of the trainer’s previous clients will inform you of the quality of the service you may receive. It must however be kept in mind that the success of the service is dependent on the consultant’s and your company’s input. Non-national employees The bar industry employs an increased number of non-national employees who due to language barriers may be at a disadvantage in a conventional training situation. However the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has compiled a database of ‘Food Safety Training Materials in Foreign Languages’ which is available online at www.fsai.ie. This database provides information on food safety training materials, videos, posters, and translation services. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) Enforcement officers (EHOs) will assess food safety training when conducting a food safety inspection in your premises. They observe hygiene practices and verify the food safety knowledge of staff members. EHOs will also enquire as to whether you maintain food safety records (HACCP records) and ask about the food safety training that has been provided (and the records to indicate when this training was carried out, by whom and who attended these sessions). You must remind every member of staff that they have a responsibility to ensure that they provide customers with food and drinks that are safe to consume. Owners must comply with the regulations and help their staff members to establish and maintain high standards of food hygiene. They must also back up their obligations through regular training sessions delivered by competent trainers to deliver food safety successfully.
Calorie Count Menus Publicans could soon be required to include calorie counts on food menus as part of the Government’s announced pledge to counteract rising levels of obesity. Ireland currently has the second highest obesity rate in Europe resulting in a list of health implications including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Research has found that calorie counts on menus help consumers make healthier food choices. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has launched a national consultation process on the issue. Fine Gael Dublin South East Senator, Catherine Noone, has said that mandatory calorie counts on restaurant menus could help to significantly counteract the growing obesity problem. ‘Our obesity problem is fast turning into a healthcare time bomb. We need to make people more aware about the effect of the food they are eating. People may often think they are making sensible choices, when in fact the food they are eating may be laden with calories. The simplest and quickest way to start dealing with this is to add calorie counts to menus.’ Members of the food industry and also the public are being urged to make their views known to the Food Safety Authority by filling out a short questionnaire on their website www.fsai.ie
RECIPES: BRILLIANT BACON
This month Bord Bia provides two quick and easy delicious bacon recipes from its newly launched Simply Tasty campaign. Each would make a perfect addition to any pub menu. Bacon, Spinach and Blue Cheese Tart This tart is perfect for using up leftover ham or bacon from a joint and is delicious served both hot or cold. Recipe serves 4 • 50g butter, plus extra for greasing • 100g cooked ham or loin of bacon, cut into cubes • 1 small onion, finely chopped • 350g fresh spinach, washed, well drained and tough stalks removed • 5 sheets filo pastry, thawed • 75g blue cheese • 3 eggs
• 6 tsp reduced fat Creme Fraiche • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • Lightly dressed green salad and boiled new potatoes, to serve
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4,180C (350 F). Lightly butter a 35 x 11cm loose-bottomed flan tin. Heat a large non-stick frying pan. Add a knob of the butter and cook the onion for 4-5 minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in the spinach and cook for a few minutes until wilted, stirring. Turn the mixture into a sieve and press well with a wooden spoon to squeeze out all of the excess liquid. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan or in the microwave. Lay one sheet of filo across the base of the tin with the edges slightly overhanging the sides.
Eggy Bread BLT
This is the ultimate bacon sandwich, and a perfect friend to a pint. Recipe makes 4 sandwiches Cooking time: 15 minutes • 4 eggs • 2 tsp milk • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 large ciabatta • About 2 tsp olive oil • 12 smoked streaky bacon rashers, rinds removed • 1 tsp good quality mustard • 2 tsp of reduced fat mayonnaise • 2 tsp tomato ketchup • 25g rocket • 4 small vine tomatoes, finely sliced
Crack the eggs into a shallow dish, add the milk, season and mix well to combine. Cut the ciabatta loaf into four evenly sized pieces and then cut each open so that you have eight separate pieces. Place each piece of the bread, cut-side down, in the egg mixture. Leave to soak for a minute before turning over. Heat a large frying pan and add half of the oil, add the soaked bases of ciabatta,
Brush with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining sheets, arranging them at different, overlapping angles. Spoon the spinach and onion mixture into the pastry case and scatter the ham or bacon on top, then crumble over the blue cheese. Beat together the eggs, creme fraiche and seasoning in a bowl, then pour into the pastry case. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set and the filo pastry is golden. Serve cut into slices and arranged on plates with salad and new potatoes. Nutritional Content: Protein: 20g Carbohydrates: 42g Fat: 37g Iron: 1.9mg Energy: 583kcal
cut side down. Cook over a medium to low heat for 2 minutes until golden brown, then turn over and cook for another two minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the grill. Arrange the bacon on a grill rack and cook for a couple of minutes on each side until really crispy. Keep warm. Remove the ciabatta bases from the frying pan and keep warm. Add the remaining oil and then add the tops of the ciabatta. Cook as described above. Mix together the mustard and the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Just before serving, spread half the mustard-mayonnaise over the bases, next add a little ketchup, the rocket, a layer of tomato slices and season with the black pepper. Top with the bacon and finish by spreading the remaining mustard mayonnaise on to the top half of the eggy bread. Nutritional Content: Protein: 22g Carbohydrates: 32g Fat: 35g Iron: 2.1mg Energy: 533kcal LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012 33
STAY INFORMED!
TIME OUT
Corona Light Arrives
JANUARY 2012 Vol 56 No 01
America’s No.1 Imported Light Beer Chooses Ireland For European Launch The number one imported light beer in the US, Corona Light has set its sights on the advancing light beer market in Europe with Ireland chosen as the beer’s launch market. Light beers have come and gone in recent years, however the people at Corona believe now is the right time to bring a low calorie – 99 per bottle – light beer to the Irish market. Michael Barry, of Corona distributor, Barry & Fitzwilliam, explains that Corona Light intends to succeed where many have failed.
n Why is Ireland the perfect market to launch Corona Light in Europe? Ireland has embraced the Corona brand. We have the highest per capita sales in Europe and a major affinity with the US where Corona Light is the number one imported light beer. n How is the overall bottled beer market performing in bars right now? The bottle beer market in the on trade is tough and there is definitely a trend towards pints in relation to mainstream brands, but Corona Extra is still doing very well. Light beer in bottle is also doing well in the on trade. n Others have tried to crack the Irish light beer market with varying success, why will Corona Light succeed? Amárach Research did the research on our behalf at the latter end of last year and to quote their findings ‘they have never seen such positivity towards a product that hasn’t even been launched’. n What exactly makes it light? It contains only 99 calories per 355ml bottle which we reckon is about 7½% less calories than any of the other light beers on the market. n Who
do you predict will drink Corona Light? The main target market is the discerning calorie conscious consumer, which is primarily female, but we also see the athletic types taking to it. Even though it’s low in calories it still has a full flavour and yes the slice of lime does add that little extra hint of refreshment. n With so much bottled choice right now, why should publicans be interested in stocking Corona Light? Because it is going to be the next big thing in the bottled beer sector. n What sort of sales support and incentives will Barry & Fitzwilliam be providing to the on trade? The best incentive of all – the Corona Light Girls will be on tour around the country during spring and summer so if any of Licensing World readers would like them to visit their premises just e-mail us at info@bandf.ie using Corona Light as the subject and we will pass it on to our promotional team. n What do you think is the correct rrp for Corona Light in pubs? It’s not for me to be dictating rrp but it should be similar to any other light beer.
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34 LICENSING WORLD FEBRUARY 2012
NOFFLA NAMES TOP STORES
HAVE YOUR SAY: TIME FOR RATES REFORM DESIGN ON A SHOESTRING
WHAT LIES IN STORE FOR THE ECONOMY AND THE DRINKS INDUSTRY IN 2012 AND BEYOND?
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1. (l-r) Brian McGuinness, Kathleen Barry, Ricardo Mattos, Daniel Gomez, Michael Barry, Gary Conway, Chris Murphy, Jose Pares-Gutierrez and Kevin O’Mahony at the launch of Corona Light at The Church Bar, on Dublin’s Mary Street 2. (l-r) Niamh Sullivan, Hopkins Communications, and Cliona McCabe from The Bodega at the launch of Corona Light in Cork. 3. (right) His Excellency Carlos Garcia De Alba, Mexican Ambassador to Ireland, with Michael and Kathleen Barry of Barry & Fitzwilliam in Dublin 4. Corona girls pictured at the launch of Corona Light at The Bodega, Cork
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