Baltic Cider in Australia: what we learned on our 3rd sales mission
Our 3rd Baltic Cider Sales Mission to Australia in May this year brought Baltic cider makers together with importers, bars, retailers and cider fans across Sydney, Batlow and Melbourne — and gave us plenty to take home.
MELBOURNE: THE PLACE TO BE
Melbourne proved a particularly good match for Baltic Cider. There’s a real appetite for new, unusual and interesting drinks, with a vibrant café and restaurant scene and an openness to innovative wines and ciders. Our Beermash tap takeover was a highlight, with Baltic ciders flowing and a great response from customers. Mūrbūdu, Abavas and Jaanihanso ciders proved particularly popular. Definitely a market we’ll be watching closely.
SYDNEY: LESSONS LEARNED
Sydney was a tougher market to crack. Breaking into the mainstream drinks scene with lesser-known imported products is challenging, and our tap takeover didn’t deliver the results we had hoped for. But that’s exactly what a sales mission is for: testing, learning and finding where the fit is strongest.
BATLOW: CIDER COUNTRY
At Batlow CiderFest, visitors really enjoyed tasting our ciders, with bottles selling well and Pirula ciders standing out as particular favourites. The feedback was clear: Baltic cider has a place in Australia. We also learned an important lesson about logistics. Australia’s long distances, heat and changing transport conditions are tough on unpasteurised cider — especially when kegs are repeatedly connected and disconnected. For the Australian market, product stability and pasteurisation need to be taken very seriously.
AND NEXT STOP… BRISBANE?
We also met Aigars Strautiņš, Latvian Chamber of Commerce representative for Australia and New Zealand. His view? Brisbane could be a very interesting market for Baltic Cider — hot weather, year-round demand for refreshing drinks, and a strong market for low- and no-alcohol options. We’re looking forward to exploring it further, with plans already taking shape for next year.