Craft beer is in vogue like never before. They are popping up all over the country. The Norwegian Brewery and Beverage Association currently has close to 100 members, the vast majority of which are small farm and local breweries. One of the breweries that has marketed itself in the eastern part of the country is Wettre Bryggeri. Geir Tommy Hoset and Lene Thorsen from Innsikteriet took a trip to Søndre Wettre farm in Asker and met Hans E. Wettre – one of the three founders of the brewery.
A brewery is born
Starting a brewery isn’t something that happens overnight. Hans E. Wettre and partner Marius Hansen were pregnant with the idea for several years before they took the plunge. For Hans, it was important to get more legs to stand on in relation to the farm operation. “This was a golden opportunity to combine both using our own raw materials and being able to work on the farm,” says Hans.
Marius has had the greatest love of brewing beer, while Hans enjoys drinking beer, preferably that which has been on the sidelines of the traditional types. Hans has also brought his interest and fascination for the unique to the production of beer at Wettre Bryggeri. “I particularly enjoy researching and finding new varieties,” he says with a smile.
Exclusive distribution
Wettre Bryggeri is not a narrow niche brewery for beer nerds. They have sought to reach out to a wide audience in Asker and the surrounding area. The collaboration with the grocery chains has worked well, both in terms of distribution and pricing. “The chains are on the same page,” says Hans E. Wettre, who also points out that the stores see it as an advantage to be able to offer locally produced beer.
Particularly exciting is the collaboration they have with some local outlets, such as the beer outlet Gulating in Sandvika with the special edition “Kalvøya”. They recently launched their 13th beer variant. “Trekanten” is a Vienna Lager that was made especially for Meny at Trekanten in Asker. Creating limited editions (for a limited period of time) is a well-known strategy that many use with great success – and is an excellent opportunity for a small player to compete with the biggest players. They have also secured distribution with Kiwi and Coop Extra.
Unread industry
In Hans’ experience, the beer and brewing industry has traditionally had a challenge with its profile and image. Over the past 10 years, beer has become a more mainstream product. Hans gives much of the credit for this to the pioneers of the Norwegian market, such as Nøgne Ø, Kinn, Ægir and Haandbryggeriet. However, that doesn’t mean that the challenges of establishing a local brewery have been insignificant.
– “The biggest challenge is clearly the bureaucracy,” Hans points out. “Even when you contact the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to ask what it takes to get a brewery up and running, no one can answer you. You kind of have to create this path yourself. There’s no tool that can help you or a template for what’s needed. So making sure you’re doing the right things at all times is difficult and energy consuming.
The biggest challenge is clearly the bureaucracy. Even when you contact the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, no one can answer you.
Adventurous growth
The brewery has had an adventurous growth. It took 3 years before they were ready to sell beer commercially. In 2015, they had a production of 8,000 liters while this year it will be closer to 60,000 liters. The realistic target for 2017 is around 70,000 liters. Hans E. Wettre points out that the magic limit is 50,000 liters. “It’s difficult to make money if production is less than that. He emphasizes that you have to dare to think big enough in this industry.
You have to dare to think big enough in this industry
– We have no plans to take over the world. We want to be a local quality brewery and focus more on quality than quantity. We want to be so close (to the market) that we have direct contact with those we sell to.
Effective use of social media
As a beer producer, the scope for marketing communication is limited. Social media such as Facebook and Instagram are important for reminding people that they’re out there. “It gives us a little leeway, you can promote everything but the finished product,” emphasizes Hans E. Wettre. The brewery also makes active use of beer bloggers. They are perceived as having a little more leeway, and the effect on postings and publicity can be seen immediately in social media.
– We only post happy things. There is little furting. We find that videos work very well,” says Hans E. Wettre.
The ambitions
Wettre Bryggeri hopes for continued growth. At the same time, they don’t want to become too big. “That we have 100% capacity of what we want ourselves and that we start to get recognition for our work,” says Hans about the goal for 2017.