Briska sales hope for Swedish cider

A less sweet Swedish cider, designed for drinkers wanting to move on from traditional sweet Swedish brands, but not yet ready for drier British styles, is set to launch in the UK this month.

The Stockholm-based Spendrups drinks company is launching Briska, which is aimed at 25 to 35-year-old men and women.

The 4.5% ABV cider will be available in 330ml bottles and on draught and comes in three flavours — apple, pear and pomegranate — though more flavours are expected to be added over time. The cider is designed to be served over ice.

To raise awareness of the brand the company is investing in merchandising, glassware and PoS for the on-trade as well as sampling at festivals and events this summer.

"We want to attract those drinkers who are already familiar with Swedish cider from [drinking] brands such as Kopparberg, but who are now ready for something that is less sweet, but not as dry as UK brands," said Spendrups export manager Fredrik Eklund.

"We are aiming to grow the whole category by tapping into this gap, although we think there will be a little cannibalisation from other brands," he said.

The rollout will begin in key cities such as London, Oxford and Nottingham, before spreading across the rest of the country.

"We launched Briska in Sweden last year where it has done well and we're very excited about the prospects for the brand in the UK," Eklund said.

He added that this was the first in a series of planned cider and beer UK launches for the company this year.