DB boss tips cider sales to double

Andy Routley, managing director of DB Breweries, says cider sales are growing fast in NZ. Photo / Brett Phibbs

DB Breweries managing director Andy Routley is forecasting cider sales in New Zealand to double in the next five years to about 12 per cent the size of the beer market.

Auckland-based DB is the market leader in the category with a 46 per cent share locally and burgeoning exports, and Routley said cider was one of New Zealand's fastest growing categories with a 25 per cent compound annual growth rate.

The overall beer market continues to decline with Statistics New Zealand figures showing the total volume of beer available for consumption falling 2.3 per cent in 2014 to 282 million litres.

Cider has been around for centuries but started booming in the UK in 2008 alongside the popularity of craft beer and has been growing in New Zealand since 2009 after it shook off its fusty, old-fashioned image.