E-Malt.com News article: UK: Meantime Brewing Company appoints new on-trade sales director

London microbrewers Meantime Brewing Company Ltd. announced on February 20 it has appointed a new on-trade sales director to raise their profile in the quality end of the draught speciality beer market.

Brent Smith brings a wealth of sales and marketing experience to Meantime, having worked for Bacardi, Interbrew, Whitbread and Bass. He has had particularly relevant successes with speciality beer, being part of the team that successfully brought Hoegaarden to the UK. Meantime will be hoping to replicate some of the achievement he attained with Stella Artois, developing an On Trade strategy for the 90’s that delivered Ł5million of incremental profit for Interbrew..

Brent joins Meantime having been previously consulted over their 2005 re-branding exercise which saw the firm embark upon a successful export drive in the USA and invest in Champagne closure technology to differentiate and emphasise the uncompromising nature of their 750ml bottled beer range. Brent’s close involvement led to him becoming a big fan of the Meantime range of beers as well as the company’s ‘taking the consumer on a voyage of discovery’ ethos. He will primarily be responsible for developing Meantime’s draught beer presence in the On Trade, especially London, alongside their award winning bottled range.

Meantime Brewmaster, Alastair Hook, said of Brent’s appointment. ‘ We are delighted to welcome somebody with a proven track record in building on-trade sales with products that demand more customer understanding, appreciation and education than the mainstream. His experience with Hoegaarden will bring an invaluable boost to Meantime as InBev have been very active in helping the consumer take the first steps towards the Meantime offering.’

Brent said. “This is a fantastic time to join an exciting company that has a name for unbelievably high quality products, in what is the best business in the world. I’m relishing the challenge”.

About Meantime Brewery Company:

Founded in 2000 Meantime Brewery is Britain’s leading brewer of quality hand-crafted bottled beers and produces both traditional classic Continental beers styles and new, innovate modern beers. Meantime is the sole beer supplier to the Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference range and also supplies a client base of top bars and restaurants in central London.

Meantime’s beers are fully matured in accordance with traditional brewing techniques and are never pasteurised, so ensuring absolute freshness of flavour.

Meantime was the only UK brewery to win any medals at the World Beer Cup held in San Diego in April 2004. Meantime’s own bespoke champagne bottle won silver medal at the glass industry’s Shine design awards 2002.

Meantime’s pub, the Greenwich Union, was the only pub to be short listed for the Time Out, Evening Standard and Class Magazine Pub of the Year Awards 2003. Meantime brewed Proof Pilsner won Gold at the Wine and Spirit International Beer Challenge 2005.


22 February, 2006