Feral Brewing put up for sale

Coca-Cola Europacific Australia is exiting the beer and cider industry in Australia and selling Feral Brewing Company, four years after the beverage giant purchased the craft brewery.

In a statement, Coca-Cola Europacific Australia said the company decided to exit the production, sale and distribution of beer and cider products and focus on growing its spirits and alcohol and non-alcohol ready-to-drink ranges following a strategic review.

Coca-Cola Europacific Australia vice president and general manager Australia, Pacific and Indonesia Peter West said it was time for Feral to grow its potential under new ownership.

“On the back of the double-digit growth our Feral brand has achieved over the last four years and the strong business and brand loyalty the Feral team in WA has built, we are excited about what the future holds for Feral Brewing Company,” Mr West said.

Feral was started by Brendan Varis and Al Carragher in 2002 as a brewpub in the Swan Valley and has grown to be Western Australia’s third largest brewery, according to Business News’ Data & Insights.

Coca-Cola Amatil, now called Coca-Cola Europacific Australia, bought the craft brewery in 2017 for an undisclosed sum.

In August 2021, Feral announced it would not renew its lease at its Swan Valley venue and would serve last drinks on October 3.

It said the brewery’s experimental pilot plant would be moved to the company’s Bassendean production facility, which it shares with Nail Brewing.

In October, beer publication The Crafty Pint reported Feral co-founder Al Carragher had purchased the old Swan Valley site from his mother and was partnering with Paul Fowler to open it as a new venue called Baskerville Tavern.

Meanwhile, Sneakers & Jeans Hospitality Group’s brewery Pirate Life Perth in Murray Street in Perth opened today.

The venue includes an in-house brewery, casual fine-dining restaurant TOMA and two private dining rooms, The Mezz and The Tank.

A beer garden deck space called The Yard and a rum bar named honey are yet to open.

The venue joins Varnish on King, The Flour Factory, Caballitos and Hadiqa in the Sneakers & Jeans portfolio.