Italy: Beer production rises to record 15.6 mln hl in 2017

Italian beer production recorded its highest volume to date in 2017 (15.6 million hectolitres), an increase of 7.5% on the previous year, ESM reported on June 28.

Exports also achieved a new record, up 7.9% year-on-year, to 2.7 million hl.

The figures come from the latest Annual Report by AssoBirra, an association that brings together two major malt producers and about 40 large, medium and small breweries, which together represent more than 90% of national production.

The positive results resulted in a 3.4% annual growth in Italian malt production (to 75,800 tonnes) and increased employment, with the number of personnel employed in the trade rising to 140,000, which is 3,000 more than in 2016.

Per-head consumption in Italy for the first time reached 31.8 litres, up by 0.4 litres on 2016, while national consumption was up 1.6% to over 19 million hl.

At the same time, there has been a noticeable drop in beer imports (- 9.1%) indicating that Italians are increasingly loyal to domestic beers.

The number of micro-breweries operating in Italy now exceeds 850, divided into craft brewers (693) and brew pubs (162), accounting for a 3.2% market share and total production of 483,000 hl.

One of the factors contributing to the positive performance of the beer sector, according to AssoBirra, is a decrease in the tax burden that brewers face.

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