By Andy Young
Gage Roads Brewing has announced the appointment of a new national sales and marketing manager, which the company says is “a key part of its five-year plan”.
Scott Player has joined the company having previously served as the national head of sales at Matso’s Broome Brewery and Little Creatures.
Gage Roads’ managing director John Hoedemaker said the appointment of Player reflected the brewer’s plans to grow its sales and marketing team and also develop its presence into new states.
“Scott’s depth of knowledge of the craft beer industry, his proven track record in execution and extensive managerial experience is invaluable in helping us develop and execute a concise sales, distribution and marketing strategy which will see Gage Roads expand its national footprint,” Hoedemaker said.
“With this in mind we have also recently appointed a sales and marketing representative in New South Wales and are re-locating our high-performing on-premise sales manager to Melbourne to take on a national role and spearhead our efforts in Victoria,” he added.
The new appointments reflect an increased demand for Gage Roads’ draught products including Little Dove Draught, Single Fin Summer Ale and Atomic Pale Ale. Gage Roads is accelerating the supply of Little Dove Draught kegs in Victoria and New South Wales and the brewer has said that it plans to commence bottling the beer in the first quarter of the 2017 financial year “in time for the summer period”.
Hoedemaker added: “A key pillar of our strategy is a focus on building national awareness of our brands. The draught rollout is opening up more opportunities for consumers to trial our products and engage with the Gage Road brand values and ethos.
“Our on-premise strategy will give beer drinkers nationally the opportunity to discover our craft beers and build a positive connection with our brand.”