Beer sales bounce back in Switzerland post-pandemic

On average, each Swiss resident bought more than 50 litres of beer over the past year. Keystone / Matthias Balk

Sunny and dry weather, along with the end of Covid restrictions, drove an uptick in the amount of beer drunk over the past year, the industry has reported.

In the 2021-2022 brewing year (October to October), beer sales by Swiss breweries rose again after two years of decline, the Swiss Brewery Association (SBA) said on Tuesday.

Overall, Swiss producers sold 364 million litres, up 9% on the previous year, despite the fact that the first months of the year were marked by strict pandemic regulations. When imported beers are included, the total sales rose by 6%, to 469 million litres.

The breweries said the reason for the recovery was largely the end of the pandemic-related restrictions, but also the sunny and dry weather in the spring and summer months of 2022.

The boom in non-alcoholic beers also continued: sales increased by 20.6%, with non-alcoholic beers reaching a market share of 5.7%. The SBA said it expects this to reach 10% in the next five years.

Situation still tense

However, the industry still needs “some time before pre-Covid levels are reached”, said SBA Director Marcel Kreber. In 2018-2019, 474 million litres were sold.

The SBA also said that the situation for breweries remained “extremely tense”, despite the uptick: rising energy prices, as well as shortages and rising costs for packaging and raw materials, are causing headaches.

According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), the consumer price of beer rose by 6.8% over the past 12 months.