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Lyre’s moves into the Middle East
Non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ producer Lyre’s will make its debut in eight countries across the Middle East next month.
The Australian brand will enter Middle East countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq and Jordan from December.
Lyre’s said the move follows ‘significant investment and breakthrough innovation’ by the company through technology that ensures non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ comply with strict alcohol regulations in Middle Eastern countries.
“The non-alcoholic spirits industry is relatively nascent in Middle Eastern countries due to the challenges faced in achieving true zero alcohol content,” said Lyre’s co-founder and CEO, Mark Livings.
“It’s a remarkable achievement for the Lyre’s R&D [research and development] and innovation team to have engineered 14 of our multi-award-winning non-alcoholic ‘spirits’ in an indistinguishable format to their originals for the region.
“This has enabled Lyre’s to deliver the first compliant and true to taste range in these highly regulated markets.
The move to expand into the Middle East brings Lyre’s global footprint to 60 countries in fewer than two years since its launch, Livings added.
Lyre’s has teamed up with distributors across the region, including MMI and Fresh Express.
Furthermore, the brand has secured several on-trade listings, including Atlantis and LPM Restaurant & Bar in Dubai, Emirates Palace and TVM in Abu Dhabi, Mnky Hse, Hotel Cartagena and Mandarin Oriental in Riyadh.
The producer predicts that the Middle East region will contribute more than 100,000 case sales for its products and £15 million (US$20.4m) in gross merchandise value in one year.
Livings said: “This launch is far more than a typical new country entry for a typical consumer brand. What Lyre’s has achieved is highly strategic and removes the barriers to entire markets thirsty for premium beverages – which are already embracing the non-alcoholic ‘beer’ category – and with a strong disposition to spend incomes out of home on luxury hospitality experiences.
“We see the potential total addressable market for our products to be worth over AU$150 million in these regions by 2025, contributing growth for our business, our distributors and the hospitality and retailer operators.”
In September this year, Lyre’s created a no-ABV alternative to pink gin and a new ready-to-drink (RTD) range.