UK’s hospitality industry is losing an estimated £212 million annually due to beer wastage, according to research by draft beer quality services company Avani Solutions, who have launched an industry-first campaign today to combat the issue.
Already backed by UKHospitality’s Kate Nicholls, WasteWatchers!® provides pubs and bars with practical training to reduce losses and improve profitability.
Research undertaken by Avani highlights that of the two billion pints poured annually in the UK1, 43% suffer from waste2 equating to 860 million pints affected by waste every year. The key causes include inefficient pouring techniques, poor cellar management, and operational mishaps.
Amanda Thomson, Managing Director of Avani Solutions, warns that this avoidable loss is severely impacting pub revenues. She said: “Through our experience of working with draught beer dispense systems, and by the independent research we’ve conducted across licensed UK hospitality venues of all sizes from village pubs to licensed retail groups, we have identified that approximately 43% of pints poured suffer from wastage. Do the maths and it’s an incredible amount of beer and over £200m in revenue that is literally being poured away. This campaign exists to highlight the waste that is happening and help hospitality both to recover the easily avoidable wastage and otherwise lost revenue. There has never been a more perfect time to launch WasteWatchers!® given the extra financial burden the sector is being forced to carry. We want to help venues increase their yield, their profits and improve their quality of serve.”
The initiative has already seen huge success with award-winning pub group Chestnut Group, which operates 19 pubs across East Anglia, and were first to trial the campaign. CEO Philip Turner admitted his team was surprised at how much they were losing. He commented: “Working with the Avani Team has meant we’ve reduced our wastage and are saving money as a result. We have always monitored waste, so we didn’t think we would have much to learn with WasteWatchers!®. However, the data we collected, and the expert training the team received from Avani helped us laser in on causes of waste, from pouring techniques to cellar management practices.”
With the hospitality industry battling rising costs, UKHospitality’s Kate Nicholls has thrown her weight behind the campaign, urging venues to take action. She said: “The Avani WasteWatchers!® campaign really highlights how important it is to reduce beer waste, and how doing so will tangibly deliver cost savings for your business. With hospitality under huge pressure, all licensed venues will be reviewing their processes for efficiency, and the WasteWatchers!® advice can play a critical role in reducing wastage, as well as helping venues become more sustainable.” “
Avani has produced a fun, no-nonsense training video showing bar staff exactly where they’re going wrong – and how they can pour the perfect pint without wasting a drop. Pubs and bars can also now sign up for a FREE practical guidance pack, complete with a 25% discount on a hands-on training workshop. The WasteWatchers!® workshop is a 2-hour interactive on-site session with beer quality specialists from Avani who will teach the art of the perfect pour, how to eliminate waste, and even cut down on energy costs and adjust other operational practises to maximise profit – these small changes have the potential to save up to £5,000 per year for just one venue.
Avani Solutions, headquartered near Thetford, Norfolk, has been working since 2012 to support the hospitality industry with beer quality services, operational troubleshooting, and training solutions.
