Despite what was an incredibly tough year for Australia’s beer industry, from a financial perspective Better Beer enjoyed its best year yet in 2024. This is especially rewarding, says CEO and Co-founder Nick Cogger, given the brand’s challenges in its final months with Mighty Craft.
“As the CEO, I’ve tried my hardest to insulate our team and our customers from what was a less-than-ideal partner given the financial position they’ve been in over the past couple of years,” Cogger told National Liquor News.
“Since the creditor vote and our new shareholder in Pure Asset Management, we have been on a tear increasing our distribution points by over 4,000 new retailers.”
In 2024, the brand hit $100m in revenue within just 30 months of operation, making it Australia’s second-largest independent operator in branded beer sales.
“There are so many factors that have contributed to that result including our great branding and name, the Inspired Unemployed’s ability to create hype and deliver our core messages, plus the use and capacity of John Casella’s brewery,” Cogger continued.
“However, the true advantage as to why we are still growing, in what is now a crowded category, is that we had first mover advantage in the macro zero carb space. We’ve seen almost 15 zero carb products launched in the past two years with one major brewer launching four at once.”
Category innovation
With new additions to the Better Beer portfolio, including the launch of Better Cider, and new pack formats, the brand’s NPD pipeline was a key growth driver in 2024.
“Better Cider was created for two reasons – retail partners were desperate for life to be brought back into the cider category, and timing. Timing because with the cost-of-living pressures in the market right now, you can get a 10-pack of RTDs for $45-$55, or you can try a carton (24-pack) of Better Cider for $55. It’s early days, however we’re happy with where sales have been to date.
“This calendar year, Australia will be based around launching pack formats, but we will try and deliver some NPD into the New Zealand market,” Cogger explained.
“We also have a major promotion happening later in the year, that we think will take us to the next level in terms of brands in Australia.”
“It will be the major, almost sole focus for the year – a first-of-its-kind loyalty program.”
Nick Cogger
Expanding distribution
In 2025, Better Beer is focused on enhancing its distribution capabilities and national presence under a new distribution agreement with Casella Family Brands. Following the collapse of Mighty Craft in 2024, Casella will support Better Beer to realise its full potential in the domestic market, with Better Beer maintaining full ownership of the brand.
“As a business, we wanted to be on the Casella trucks for the last two years, however our agreements with Mighty Craft wouldn’t allow a separation. I believe the Mighty Craft sales team were and still are some of the best in the industry, but we wanted to get into a bigger and more widely-covered beast. With Casella, we’ll have over 40 reps across the country and our aim is to service and grow our new 4,000 distribution points plus the on-premise,” Cogger explained.
This article originally appeared in the 2025 Industry Leaders Forum issue of National Liquor News:
