The roots of the KARMELITER Bräu monastery beer extend all the way back to the Early Middle Ages: That’s over 670 years of brewing history – with no end in sight just yet! That’s because OeTTINGER GETRÄNKE will now also be brewing and selling KARMELITER beers. The small private brewery KARMELITER Bräu is based in Salz, near Bad Neustadt, a town on the banks of the Franconian Saale river nestled among the Rhön mountains in northern Bavaria. The company had recently announced that it would be forced to close at the end of June, as attempts to find a successor to acquire the brewery had up to that point proven fruitless.
“KARMELITER has cult status. Losing this strong brand and its centuries-old recipes would have been an enormous loss for German brewing culture and diversity,” says our CEO Stefan Blaschak. He adds: “With its robust quality and impressive history, KARMELITER is a great fit for our traditional family business – which is almost 300 years old itself. It’s like two peas in a pod, or perhaps like crown corks in a bottle would be more apt in this case!”
With a new brand in our portfolio, OeTTINGER GETRÄNKE has broadened its positioning and in so doing, we have taken an important step in our realignment. Our ultimate aim is to minimize the influence of market conditions on our business operations. Despite the fact that our focus in terms of diversification is on expanding the range of alcohol-free drinks as well as innovation at home and abroad, we are still continuing to develop our core business. Stefan Blaschak explains further: “Although the German beer market has been shrinking for decades, it still remains a significant and lucrative income source. There are many brands that have the potential to provide additional impetus in the traditional segments. With the acquisition of KARMELITER, we are capitalizing on the original growth path of Helles lager while also looking into the possibilities of continuing to brew additional monastery beer varieties.”
All in all, this is exciting news for KARMELITER fans, as their community will soon be growing right across Germany!
