"Going local...down in every local" might just
work as a dreadful pun on the first line of a Four Tops hit of twenty years
ago. Perhaps you're old enough to recognise it.
Even if it doesn't work, it doesn't
matter. Because what's important is the message that it encapsulates, which not
only works exceptionally well, but also has a vital role to play in the
revitalisation of the on-trade at a time when the British pub finds itself
beleaguered as never before.
In spite of the current economic
climate, which is going cold faster than the real climate is warming up, the
trend towards principled purchasing continues to gather speed. Of the three
main manifestations of this – organic, "Fair Trade" and local –
buying local is the one that consumers are most inclined to support. Farmers'
markets and local shops have fought back against the tide of bland global high
street branding, to bring back real choice and real quality, from producers who
are proud to guarantee the genuine local provenance of their goods.
Customers who buy local get more than
just the quality they demand. They find themselves part of a movement that
places sustainability at the top of the agenda. It's a win-win situation that
puts a different slant on the buzz-phrase that exhorts us to"enjoy responsibly". Commitment to
localism enhances local community and economy, and by reducing food miles does
more than its bit for the environment.
These feelgood factors add up to a
sense of real value that, in the mind of the consumer, more than justifies the
price premium such produce is likely (but not bound) to command.
How many pubs do you know that tempt
you with mouth-watering menus promising "the
finest ingredients, locally sourced"? There's not a food pub
worth its salt – or a gastropub worth its sea salt crystals and freshly milled
pink peppercorns – that would announce the use of anything other than raw
materials that have travelled the shortest possible distance.
Peruvian asparagus might be very tasty
– and all you can get year-round in the supermarket – but it's hardly a
crowd-pulling selling point for your food business, is it?
On the other hand...meat reared
traditionally on local farms and matured and prepared by local butchers; fresh
fish landed by British fishermen and sold on the quayside of the nearest port;
and of course seasonal English asparagus
available for just a few weeks and harvested the day before you cook it...these
all help to create distinction by putting localism at the heart of the menu.
For far too long the portfolios of too
many pub cellars have been a little reluctant to take a lead from what's going
on in the kitchen. But that's no longer the case, and SIBA's Direct Delivery
Scheme is spearheading the drive to make local ales an essential presence on
the bar of the local.
The arrival of giant, non-brewing pub
owners has seen many more outlets designated as "free houses", with
no apparent tie to a single supplier. This has increased choice within the
walls of each pub, but it also threatens to standardise the offering across the
on-trade, with each drinks category dominated by a few leading brands. What is
needed is something to create a point of difference.
DDS was launched in December 2003 to
try to improve access to market for its participating breweries via the estates
of major pub companies. The British beer industry has been revolutionised over
the last thirty years or so by the microbrewing explosion – from less than 100
independent companies in the late seventies to more than 600 today. For smaller
brewers with limited resources, economic considerations demand a supply line
that is as simple, and as short, as possible.
Cask beer is unique to the on-trade. It
is the one drink that you have to go to the pub to enjoy. For the draught real
ale drinker, staying at home is not an option. Furthermore, most cask
enthusiasts count themselves at the forefront of campaigns for quality,
provenance, consumer responsibility and cultural heritage.
Pubs need local ales like never before.
In these days of cut-price supermarket booze, rising fuel costs, the smoking
ban, and ill-considered duty hikes that the on-trade has no option but to pass
on, local ales provide a compelling incentive for people to visit their local.
The best place for the "safe, sensible, social"consumption of
alcoholic drinks has always been – and should always be – the relaxed but
monitored ambience of the well-run British public house.
Preserving both that heritage and the
commercial viability of its hard-pressed champions is the challenge of the
moment. It's a challenge that SIBA's Direct Delivery Scheme – bringing the
highest quality, distinctive, flavoursome and local
ales to an appreciative market – is perfectly geared to meet.
