Cassels Brewing Co

What Cassels Brewing Co does

Cassels Brewing Co (legal entity: Cassels & Sons Brewery Limited) is a family-owned craft brewery founded in 2009 by Alasdair Cassels in Christchurch, New Zealand, and now operated by his son Zak Cassels and son-in-law Joe Shanks. The company produces a portfolio of award-winning beers — most notably its Milk Stout franchise (Milk Stout, Double Cream at 8.1% ABV, and Triple Cream at 9% ABV), Nectaron and Double Nectaron IPAs, American Pale Ale, Woolston Pale Ale, Fogged Up Hazy Pale Ale, Lager, Pilsner, and the low-alcohol Light Owl — from a purpose-built facility at the historic Tannery site in Woolston, with production centred on an aircraft-engineered wood-fired kettle, a 25HL DME brewhouse, 50HL tanks, and a Czech carbonation and bottling system at the Maunsell Street production brewery.

The commercial model is a multi-channel direct-to-consumer operation. Packaged beer is sold nationwide through the Cassels online shop (with a VIP membership tier offering 10% off and exclusive promotions, and gift cards), at the on-site Brewery Bar & Restaurant at the Tannery (which also provides click-and-collect), and via direct tap/keg sales to bars, restaurants, and hospitality venues across New Zealand. The Beer Bus extends the on-premise experience to events, while branded merchandise (apparel, mini kegs, posters) is sold as a secondary stream. Pricing is unit-based in NZD inclusive of GST, with bundled packs (Lucky 6, Double or Nothing) and weekly on-premise deals (Kids Eat Free Mondays, 2-for-1 pizza Tuesdays, $35 burger-and-drink Wednesdays, $2-off happy hour pints Thursdays) used to drive foot traffic. The company holds an off-licence and ECAAS export certification, all four core ingredients are increasingly sourced from Canterbury (notably wet hops from Okuora Farms), and the brand has accumulated multiple World's Best honours at the World Beer Awards.

Name

Cassels Brewing Co

Legal name

Cassels & Sons Brewery Limited

Website

https://cassels.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Family-owned craft brewery founded in 2009 in Christchurch, New Zealand, producing award-winning beers — including multiple World's Best Milk Stout titles — sold via on-site bar/restaurant, nationwide e-commerce, and direct wholesale to New Zealand hospitality venues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer Brewing

NAICS

Breweries (312120)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Beer Brewing & Craft Brewing (AFAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA), Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

Keywords

• Craft beer brewing
• Brewery bar restaurant
• Craft beer retail
• On-site hospitality dining
• Beer merchandise sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Packaged Beer Sales: Direct sales of canned and bottled craft beer through online shop and potentially retail partners. Core range includes Milk Stout, Lager, APA, IPAs, and seasonal releases in 328ml bottles and various can sizes.
2. Brewery Bar & Restaurant: On-site dining and beverage sales at The Brewery Bar & Restaurant at The Tannery, Woolston. Serves woodfired pizzas, breakfast, lunch, and dinner with full bar including Cassels craft beers.
3. Merchandise Sales: Branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, posters featuring beer designs, and reusable mini kegs.
4. Online Beer Orders: Direct e-commerce sales of packaged beer with delivery across New Zealand, including VIP membership with 10% discount and exclusive offers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cassels Brewing Co is a family-owned craft brewery in Christchurch that produces a range of award-winning beers (Milk Stout, IPAs, Pale Ales, Lager, Pilsner, low-alcohol) using a wood-fired brewing kettle and locally sourced Canterbury ingredients. In addition to brewing, the company operates The Brewery Bar & Restaurant at The Tannery in Woolston and sells packaged beer and merchandise directly to consumers via an online shop with nationwide New Zealand delivery.

Product overview

Cassels Brewing Co is a family-owned craft brewery operating since 2009, producing award-winning beers from its purpose-built facility at The Tannery in Woolston, Christchurch. The product portfolio centers on core beer offerings including Milk Stout (with special variants like Double and Triple Cream), IPA range (Nectaron and Double Nectaron), Pale Ales (Woolston Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, Fogged Up Hazy), Lager, Pilsner, and Light Owl (low alcohol). Beers are available through direct e-commerce sales (online shop with nationwide delivery), on-tap at venues, and via bundled packs (Lucky 6, Double or Nothing). Hospitality operations include The Brewery Bar & Restaurant at The Tannery and The Beer Bus for events. Supporting merchandise includes apparel and accessories branded with Cassels beer designs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Milk Stout Award-winning obsidian-black Milk Stout brewed with non-fermentable lactose sugar for a full-bodied mouthfeel, featuring bittersweet chocolate and coffee-and-cream aromas. Multiple World's Best Milk Stout award winner.
• Double Cream Milk Stout Imperial Milk Stout (8.1% ABV) with non-fermentable lactose sugar delivering intensely rich stout with velvety texture and dark mocha and chocolate aromatics.
• Triple Cream Milk Stout Imperial-strength Milk Stout special release (9% ABV) with full-bodied mouthfeel, bittersweet mocha aromatics, and hints of spice from Moutere and Willamette hops. Limited availability.
• Nectaron IPA
• Double Nectaron IPA Double IPA (8.2% ABV) featuring amplified Nectaron hop flavors combined with Willamette hops, available in 12x440ml cans.
• Woolston Pale Ale Pale Ale combining punchy hop flavors balanced by a trio of malts, with late hopping using Nelson Sauvin and Motueka varieties for fruity, wine-like aromas. ABV 4.5%.
• American Pale Ale Fruity, aromatic American Pale Ale led by USA hops with tropical fruit salad and passionfruit flavors finishing soft and clean. ABV 5.4%. World's Best American Pale Ale winner at World Beer Awards 2021.
• Lager Easy-drinking lager with subtle orange peel and mandarin citrus notes, mildly peppery hop flavor and a soft, bready malt base. ABV 4.3%.
• Light Owl Low alcohol pale ale (2.5% ABV) with Chinook hops for pine aroma rounded out by citrus and floral Taiheke hops.
• Fogged Up Hazy Pale Ale Full-flavoured hazy pale ale with juicy tropical fruit notes and punchy hop characteristics. ABV 4.7%.
• Pilsner Pilsner (4.8% ABV) featuring Motueka and Nelson Sauvin hops bringing lime and sauvignon grape flavors with subtle juniper berry characters, balanced by pilsner malt base.
• Lucky 6 Mixed Pack Mixed 6-pack containing Lager, Woolston Pale Ale, Fogged Up Hazy Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, Nectaron IPA, and Milk Stout.
• Double or Nothing Mixed Pack 4x6 mixed pack containing 2 each of Fogged Up Hazy Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, and Nectaron IPA.
• The Brewery Bar & Restaurant On-site bar and restaurant at The Tannery in Woolston, Christchurch, offering award-winning Cassels brews, wood-fired pizzas, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with weekly promotional deals.
• Online Shop Direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform for purchasing packaged craft beer, merchandise and gift cards with delivery across New Zealand, including a VIP membership with 10% discount.
• The Beer Bus Mobile bar service bringing Cassels beers to community events and private functions.
• Merchandise Branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, posters, and mini keg refillable riggers featuring Cassels beer branding.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's Best Milk Stout - multiple years (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 World Beer Awards)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Okuora FarmscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2024John and Maury Leyland Penno's hop farm near Cheviot, North Canterbury supplies Canterbury-grown hops to Cassels. Partnership enables unique wet hop brewing where freshly picked hops are processed within 3 hours of harvest. This is part of developing Canterbury's hop-growing industry.
• Bellbird BakeryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 April 2022Bread supplier for McClures Great New Zealand Toasties Takeover competition. Provided specially made loaf for competition featuring Cassels Pilsner in the recipe.
• NZ HopscoreTechnology or IntegrationNew Zealand hop supplier providing Nectaron® hop variety for Cassels Nectaron IPA. Nectaron is a proprietary New Zealand hop variety known for intense tropical fruit aromas.
• The TannerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric boutique shopping emporium on Heathcote River banks in Woolston. Alasdair Cassels purchased the tannery site in 1994; Cassels Brewery operates within The Tannery complex. Home to The Brewery Bar & Restaurant and retail boutique shops.
• Christchurch City MissionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal charity supported through Plate for a Purpose sponsorship in 2022.
• Westpac Chopper AppealminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal charity appeal sponsored through Gala & Charity Auction in 2022.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BrewDog: Global craft beer brand with extensive brewery-bar network and packaged retail. Comparable in craft positioning, awards-driven marketing, and taproom + e-commerce D2C model; operates at significantly greater scale and international footprint.
• Monteiths Brewing Company: Established West Coast NZ regional brewery (DB Breweries / Asahi-owned) with broad packaged distribution. Comparable category overlap (NZ craft/regional beer) but at substantially larger scale and broader geographic reach than Cassels.
• DB Breweries (Lion): Largest NZ brewer (Steinlager, Speight's, Waikato, etc.) under Lion/Asahi. Comparable as a NZ beer competitor and potential channel partner; competes in retail and on-premise with much greater scale and marketing budget.

Direct peers

• Tuatara Brewing: Award-winning NZ craft brewer (Kapiti/Wellington) producing a broad range of beers with taproom presence. Comparable to Cassels in product breadth, awards profile, and on-premise + packaged retail strategy.
• Behemoth Brewing Company: Auckland-based NZ craft brewery specializing in big, hop-forward beers. Comparable to Cassels as a NZ craft competitor with a similar approach to limited releases and bold product positioning.
• Emerson's Brewing Company: Dunedin-origin NZ craft brewery (now Lion-owned) with established taproom and broad packaged presence. Comparable on craft heritage, awards profile, and D2C + on-premise model, though now operating at larger scale under macro-brewer ownership.
• 8 Wired Brewing: Northland-based NZ craft brewer recognized for bold, hop-forward beers and multiple international awards. Comparable peer given craft credentials, NZ domestic focus, and similar scale.
• Garage Project: Wellington-based New Zealand craft brewery known for innovative, award-winning beers and a strong taproom/D2C culture. Closest direct peer to Cassels given comparable craft positioning, award pedigree, and dual on-premise + packaged retail model.
• Panhead Custom Ales: Upper Hutt-based NZ craft brewery with a strong reputation for IPAs and pale ales. Directly comparable to Cassels on craft positioning, NZ domestic distribution, and taproom-supplemented packaged sales.

Regional players

• Little Creatures Brewery: Australian craft brewery (Lion-owned) operating brewery-bars with a similar hospitality + packaged model. Directly relevant given Cassels' Executive Brewer Simon Bretherton previously worked there; comparable craft positioning and taproom-led brand experience, though serving a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/casselsbrewery
• Facebookfacebook.com/casselsbrewingco
• Instagraminstagram.com/cassels_brewerybar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cassels-brewing-co

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cassels Brewing Co