Going global as an independent business, in an industry dominated by giants, is incredibly tough yet we have managed to do this and retain our independence which is massively important to us.

One of our strategies which enables us to do just that is to work with larger beer companies as partners in key geographies. We have longstanding partnerships in place with Molsen Coors, Asahi, Heineken, Estrella Galicia, Warsteiner and Swinkels.

These partnerships enable us to get our beer into more people’s hands, and in some cases brew our beer far closer to the end consumer which is great for beer quality and importantly lower impact for our planet.

Not everyone will agree with our strategy here but it’s helped us to become the world’s leading independent beer brand - no mean feat for a business started in a derelict shed by 2 humans and a dog just 15 years ago.

Today, we are excited to share the news of the next partnership - one that willbring our beers to every corner of the world’s biggest beer market. China. About a fifth of the world’s beer is drunk in China, and yet the country accounts for less than one per cent of our global sales – this is something we are determined to change.

We have been in the market since 2015 and we opened our bar in Shanghai in 2020. But to say we’ve barely scratched the surface of this dynamic and fast-growing market would be a massive understatement.

China is one of those markets where you really need to work with an established partner who has a sales and distribution infrastructure in place and local market knowledge. That’s why we’re really pleased to have signed a partnership agreement with Bud China to enable us to fast track our Chinese business.

Craft beer is growing massively in China – the market is about ten times bigger than it was a decade ago – so this is a huge deal for our business and our ambitions going forward.

Our headliners – Punk IPA, Hazy Jane and Elvis Juice – will be locally produced with close oversight from our Master Brewers and world class quality team.

By making beer closer to our customers – as we do in the US, Germany and Australia - we can give craft beer lovers a much fresher product and do it in a way which is better for the planet.

We’re also looking to open up to ten BrewDog bars in China over the next five years to help showcase everything we love about craft beer to new audiences.

We’ve always wanted to go for growth in China - now we can do it from a position of strength, while remaining fiercely independent.