This year has been full of milestones for Western Australian brewery Gage Roads. After celebrating its 20th anniversary in May, the brewery has also surpassed 10 million litres of beer in one year for the first time.
Reflecting on the achievement, Managing Director and Co-Founder of the brewery and parent company Good Drinks Australia, John Hoedemaker said that volume is more than a metric, rather a reflection of consumer trust in the brand and the team behind it.
“It shows that more and more Australians are choosing our beers and enjoying them. In WA, our brands now represent about a quarter of the craft beer market, which is mind-blowing when you think about it. And we’re growing strongly across the eastern states too,” he told Beer & Brewer.
“What’s made it possible is simple – our people. We’ve got the most passionate sales team, a creative marketing crew, and a brewing team that lives and breathes quality. We’ve invested heavily in building this capability over the last 20 years, and every single person at Good Drinks has contributed to us becoming the fourth-largest independent brewer in the country. I couldn’t be prouder.”
Millions of litres and two decades later
As the brewery celebrates two decades of operation, Hoedemaker said the scale of Gage Roads and later Good Drinks was always a goal for himself and his Co-Founder and brother Bill.
“[We] had a vision to build something big, something national. Why? Because we wanted Aussies to have a great-tasting, homegrown alternative to the mainstream lagers that dominated back then.
“Of course, in those early days, our first brew kit looked tiny in our huge empty facility in Palmyra. But we always pictured it being filled with modern kit, pumping out beer for the whole country, which it now is. It’s been a hard road at times, but that shared ambition has kept us going. And it’s incredible to stand here now, 20 years later, seeing that vision come to life,” he said.
That ambition and focus on community, Hoedemaker explains, is what has helped Gage Roads hold its position in the evolving Australian craft beer landscape for so many years.
“When we started, craft beer was mostly about pushing boundaries with extreme styles. We took a different view. We always believed beer is a social drink, it should be shared and enjoyed by as many people as possible. That philosophy has carried us through.
“Beers like Single Fin, Side Track 3.5 per cent, Hazy As, Little Dove and now Huey aren’t just for connoisseurs, they’re for everyone. Over time, we’ve gone beyond what people think of as ‘craft’, we’re about creating fresh beers that are full of flavour, but also approachable and easy to enjoy whether you’re at a BBQ, a pub, or a festival with your mates.”
Despite continuing pressure on the brewing industry, Hoedemaker believes Good Drinks has managed to grow in scale against all odds due to its culture and disciplined approach.
“It’s true, brewing has never been easy. Costs go up, taxes rise, consumers change what they want. That’s just the nature of the game. But what’s got us through is our culture. At Good Drinks we don’t externalise challenges, our people are empowered to make decisions, adapt quickly, and keep things moving.
“We’ve also been disciplined about building scale. From the start, we’ve reinvested everything back into the business. I’ll never forget one of the old brewing veterans telling me the industry is all about ‘distribution, volume and chasing pennies down corridors’, and he was right. We’ve never lost sight of that, and it’s helped us build a business that’s both resilient and still able to put great beers in people’s hands at fair prices,” said Hoedemaker.
Cheers to many more
Looking ahead, Hoedemaker said the goal for Good Drinks is to hold firm in its reputation as one of Australia’s leading beverage companies.
“It’s been a fantastic year, but we’re not standing still. Right now, we’ve got around 70 of our team working across every state and territory, taking Gage Roads and Matso’s to new customers all over the country. And seeing how warmly people on the east coast have embraced us has been exciting.
“We’ve set our sights on becoming the third-largest player in the beer market, and with the team we’ve got, I genuinely believe we’ll get there. Along the way, we’ll keep doing what we love most – brewing great beers that Australians are proud to call their own and getting a Good Drinks beer into every fridge and pub in Australia,” he added.
Hoedemaker again thanked his team, the industry and the beer lovers who have made 20 years and 10 million litres in a year possible.
“[It] really is a huge milestone, and I see it as recognition of the amazing team we’ve built at Good Drinks. They’ve worked so hard to make this possible. But more than that, it’s thanks to the people who choose our beers every day, retailers, publicans and drinkers who’ve really embraced Gage Roads and the coastal lifestyle it represents. Without them, none of this would mean anything.”
