Bluetongue Brewery Opens … (video)

By Andrew Starke

The Pacific Beverages owned Bluetongue Brewery has officially opened on the NSW central coast with Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) group MD, Terry Davis, promising to deliver innovation in the premium beer market.

In a short speech to an assembled audience of politicians, media and publicans, Davis, who is also chairman of Pacific Beverages, said the new brewery was just part of the $1.4 billion that CCA has invested in Australia over the past decade.

“Today we have delivered on our promise to deliver meaningful innovation to the Australian premium packaged and draught beer markets,” he said.

“This state-of-the-art Bluetongue Brewery, which has been built at a cost of $120 million, has enabled us to work closely with our key customers to begin developing new exciting draught beers, and many of them have joined us today to show their support and belief in our brands.”

Since being established four years ago, Pacific Beverages has cornered approximately 10 per cent of the Australian premium beer market.

CEO of Pacific Beverages Peter McLoughlin, said that, in addition to its state-of-the-art brewing technology, the Bluetongue Brewery had created one of the most environmentally sustainable breweries globally.

“Our sustainable initiatives have focused on six key areas namely water and energy consumption, product packaging usage, waste generation, atmospheric emissions and considered land use,” he said.

“Our customers can be assured that not only are they getting brewery fresh tasting beer, but that it is also brewed in an environmentally friendly facility.”

However high-profile publican Bernard Power said that while the trade welcomed locally produced premium brands, breweries should listen to the feedback they were getting from retailers.

Click on the video below for highlights from the official opening including the ribbon-cutting.