Supermarket chain buzzing about beer

Aldi Motherwell deputy store manager John Armstrong with Plan Bee founder and CEO Warren Bader as they toast the deal with some Beehive Brae.

Beehive Brae Honey Beer is being sold in the German firm’s 67 stores throughout Scotland, including Motherwell and Bellshill, as part of the Aldi Beer Festival.

As the label suggests, every bottle of Beehive Brae Honey Beer is brewed for the ‘betterment of bees’, with parent company Plan Bee driving the growing movement to protect and preserve Britain’s dwindling honeybee populations.

Aldi is the first major outlet to seize upon Beehive Brae, after coming to the company’s attention through their Next Top Product competition, in which Plan Bee’s Origin Honey was also a finalist.

Richard Holloway, managing director of Aldi in Scotland, said: “Scotland produces some of the best craft beer on the market and the Aldi Beer Festival allows our customers the opportunity to try a wide array of beers that are not all readily available. We are sure this Beer Festival will be a great success for Aldi and the brewers involved.”

The promotion is the culmination of a two-year journey for Clamp Road-based Plan Bee which manages 250 beehives from Aberdeen to Cornwall and established its craft brewery following a successful crowdfunding project in 2014.

The honey beer and its stablemate Beehive Brae Mead were created thanks to the digital investment venture with the leading Crowdcube site.

CEO Warren Bader is a former film and music video producer and has worked with the likes of Ridley Scott, Tina Turner and Michael Jackson.

He discovered the plight of Britain’s honeybees having become a hobby beekeeper to get away from the stresses of the film industry.

He said: “Honeybees are responsible for pollinating a third of the food that we eat, yet we have allowed their numbers to dramatically decline in recent years.

“This is more than just stocking another beer, because our honey beer is brewed for the betterment of bees, this is a sustainability statement.

“We’re delighted to be working with a major brand like Aldi and look forward to sharing in the success of this summer promotion.”

Warren has previously showcased the honey beer at major shows and exhibitions around the world including the World Expo in Milan and FoodEx in Tokyo.