New export figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that beverage exports grew by 2.4% in 2012.
Drinks exports in 2012 were valued at €1,112 million, a rise of €26 million on 2011.
In an indication of the potential of the sector, drinks industry exports outperformed total goods, which increased by 0.9%.
Individual drinks categories such as whiskey; beer and cider all continued to grow as the demand for Irish drinks products on international markets continues to build. In 2012, over 9.1 million kegs of beer and 50 million bottles of whiskey were exported.
Welcoming the figures, Acting Director of The Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI), Jean Doyle said: “The announcement of further growth in drinks industry exports shows the potential for the drinks industry to help support Irish economic recovery through export growth. The drinks industry is a hugely important sector of the Irish economy contributing over €2 billion in taxation revenue per annum, supporting over 62,000 local jobs and, according to a report by DCU’s Tony Foley released earlier this week, responsible for total purchases of over €2.8 billion each year.”
