Chopfab from Winterthur is struggling to survive – will local beer brands disappear soon?: “It’s especially difficult for the little ones”

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Winterthur brewery Chopfab Boxer is struggling to survive. The company is in such serious economic trouble that its continued existence is in danger. The brewery’s boss and founder, Philip Bucher (49), told Handelszeitung that the consequences were “serious”. “Without restructuring measures, the continued existence of the company cannot be guaranteed.”

Chopfab Boxer has been undergoing renovations since December. Purpose: haircut followed by recapitalization. The money for this has to come from competition in eastern Switzerland. Appenzell brewery Locher wants to join Chopfab Boxer. According to Handelszeitung, the Quöllfrisch producer will probably acquire the majority of the shares of the Winterthur company. Chopfab Boxer should at least remain organizationally independent.

The brewery, which started operating under the name Doppelleu in 2013, has been a success story so far. Even nearly a decade after its founding, Chopfab Boxer was one of the ten largest breweries in Switzerland, with a market share of 3 percent. The Winterthur-based company financed its ambitious expansion plans largely through borrowed capital, resulting in financial bottlenecks on several occasions. According to Tamedia newspapers, the brewery has not been able to pay its bills on time for years. In an environment of higher interest rates, the beer company’s business strategy no longer seems to be working.

Chopfab Boxer is not alone: ​​The local beer industry is facing challenges in general. “The reality is that the environment in a stagnating market has become even more challenging,” Marcel Kreber (55), managing director of the Swiss Breweries Association (SBV), tells Blick.

According to the SBV, breweries have been struggling with “rising raw material and energy prices for some time.” Consumer sentiment is also murky. According to SBV calculations, the Swiss beer market recorded a 2.5 percent decrease in the 2022/23 beer production year compared to the same period last year.

The beer boom that emerged nearly a decade ago has come to a sudden halt in 2022. One important reason: During Corona, Swiss brewers suffered from “comprehensive gastronomic and social restrictions”, as SBV boss Kreber put it. This situation is also reflected in the official figures of the sector. According to the Federal Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (BAZG), since the 1990s the number of taxable breweries has increased from just 32 to 1,278 in 2021. The following year there was a decline, and in 2022 there were only 1,179 breweries; 99 less.

The scene has since been revived. The downtrend has stopped with a minimal uptrend. In January 2024, 1,192 breweries were registered with BAZG.

With almost 1,200 brewers, Switzerland is considered the country with the highest concentration of breweries. Hobby brewers make up the majority. If some stop due to time or cost, almost nothing changes in the big picture: About 50 breweries produce 99 percent of Swiss beer.

Especially the big Swiss brands have advantages over their smaller competitors. You can spread higher production costs over larger sales volumes. What sets Feldschlösschen and Co. apart from others is their professional sales, says Stefan Müller (56), founder and owner of the Drinks of the World beverage chain: “Big breweries are the best logisticians.”

According to industry expert Müller, despite the decline in beer consumption, large hop juice producers are not losing sales. “The majors manage to maintain their volume through campaigns, among other things.” Accordingly, he concludes that small breweries are having a particularly difficult time in the current environment. Swiss beer brands are not expected to exit the country: “If you follow a clear strategy and stay local, local beer has a chance.”

Source :Blick