The flawed idea of a beer’s journey coming to an end as it leaves the brewery is no more. With hop-forward beers more popular than ever, much needs to be done to ensure your beer reaches the consumer in the condition you intended. For Yvan Seth, founder of Jolly Good Beer, this involves a painstaking attention to detail centred around coldchain distribution. He just wishes more of the industry would get on board.
“I sometimes wish I had an off switch,” laughs Yvan Seth, founder of Jolly Good Beer.
Seth is the founder of wholesale craft beer distribution and dispense business Jolly Good Beer. Seth says he’s a “beer enthusiast putting his life towards promoting the best beers he can find” but he’s much more than that.
An expert and advocate in coldchain distribution, Seth ensures customers get the beer they want while breweries, pubs and pubs call on him time and time again for his wide-ranging expertise in dispense.
In 2019, around 99% of Jolly Good Beer’s time is dedicated to wholesale distribution. Working with breweries such as Cloudwater, Wylam, Burnt Mill and Polly’s Brew Co, Seth’s inability to switch off has resulted in significant growth across the business.
“I feel that this year has been a significant one for us,” he says. “We now have an excellent team of 10 on payroll and that’s a direct result of being offer people quality beer, delivered in the way it should be.”
Jolly Good Beer delivers tonnes of beer across the UK each week and 2019 has involved a great deal of expansion into the London market. Something of a perfectionist, it’s hard to imagine Seth in a more fitting role within beer.
His exacting standards mean more and more breweries want to work with the business, but he knows there is much to be done in educating the wider market.
He says: “I want everything to be better. I feel that we’ve helped push things along a bit, and breweries are doing that themselves, too. The sector continues to grow but it’s tight, and people are vying for space. So ensuring your beer gets to the consumer in the best form it can possibly be is so important.
“It’s the difference between outstanding, good and passable. You need to be the former. Passable isn’t good enough when there’s some 2,5000 breweries out there.
“And that’s not to mention the improving standard of imports, either. Gone are the days where you should be happy with an old bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo that’s been sitting on an ambient shelf for who knows how long.”
Despite improvements across the board, Seth feels that there is still a long way to go and cold chain distribution is only likely to increase in proliferation at the premium end of the market. But that’s to say that consumer experiences won’t change for the better.
He explains: “I think we’ll see beer treated with more care, the care it deserves. Supermarkets will start to chill more of the beer and with that independents will face even more challenges. They can’t compete on price so it’s a case of adapting and ensuring they offer that variety the supermarkets don’t and looking after the beer they sell.
“Sure, it’s a financial commitment but you can start and build up. Start with one fridge then grow from there if needs be. The consumer has more choice than ever before, so you need to make sure you’re giving them a reason to choose you.”
