Speight's
Speight's is a New Zealand heritage beer brand founded in 1876, producing traditional ales, lagers, and craft beers across its Heritage, Summit, and Ale House ranges. Owned by Lion, it distributes through NZ retail, 14 franchise Ale House restaurants, brewery tours in Dunedin, and an online merchandise store.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1876
- HeadquartersDunedin, New Zealand
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Speight's does
Speight's is a New Zealand brewing brand founded in 1876 in Dunedin by James Speight, Charles Greenslade, and William Dawson. It is currently operated as a brand within Lion – Beer, Spirits & Wine Pty Ltd, an Australian-incorporated privately held beverage conglomerate. Speight's produces a multi-range beer and cider portfolio — Heritage (Gold Medal Ale, Mid Ale, Old Dark), Summit (Summit Ultra, Summit Ultra Lime, Summit Lime, Summit Citrus, Alcohol Free), and Ale House craft (Triple Hop Pilsner, Empire Ale IPA, Hazy Pale Ale, Cloudy Apple Cider) — brewed at the historic Dunedin brewery (described as New Zealand's oldest working brewery) and a secondary production facility in Auckland added in 2001 to absorb demand.
The business runs an omnichannel go-to-market model. Core revenue comes from beer sales through retail distribution across New Zealand, augmented by 14 franchised Speight's Ale House restaurant and pub locations that serve the full beer range on tap alongside Southern-style food. Ancillary revenue streams include paid brewery tours at the Dunedin facility (NZ$45 adult, NZ$25 child, NZ$79 tour-and-meal), an e-commerce merchandise store selling branded apparel and accessories ranging from NZ$15 to NZ$165, and the Speight's Mates loyalty program providing a 15% online store discount and points-based rewards.
Its target customers are New Zealand adult beer consumers, tourists and experiential visitors to brewery tours and Ale Houses, and rugby and sports fans engaged through long-standing sponsorships of the Highlanders, Otago Rugby, and the Speight's Clubhouse at Go Media Stadium (home of the NZ Warriors). Marketing leverages these sports sponsorships, active social media presence (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and periodic broadcast campaigns including 'The Dance' (2018), 'The Speech' (2023, developed with DDB), and the Great Mate Awards (2024) on TVNZ on Demand. The brand positions itself on 148+ years of brewing heritage, the iconic 'Southern Man' mateship culture, and a strong South Island regional identity.
Speight's firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Speight's
- Legal name
- Lion – Beer, Spirits & Wine Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://speights.co.nz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1876
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Speight's is a New Zealand heritage beer brand founded in 1876, producing traditional ales, lagers, and craft beers across its Heritage, Summit, and Ale House ranges. Owned by Lion, it distributes through NZ retail, 14 franchise Ale House restaurants, brewery tours in Dunedin, and an online merchandise store.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Speight's industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beer Manufacturing & Brewery
- NAICS
- Breweries (31212)
- SIC
- Malt Beverages (2082)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service) (THAFALAA), Alcoholic Beverage Tours & On-site Experiences (Brewery/Winery/Distillery) (THAFALAK), Beer Brewing & Brands (CRADAIAA)
Keywords
Where Speight's is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dunedin
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices13 records
Markets served
Speight's business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel
Revenue model
- Beer Sales: Speight's generates primary revenue through the sale of their beer products across multiple ranges including Heritage Range (Gold Medal Ale, Mid Ale, Old Dark), Summit Range (Summit Ultra, Summit Lime, Alcohol Free), and Ale House Range (Craft beers and cider).
- Brewery Tours: The Dunedin brewery offers guided tours ($45 adult, $25 child, $79 tour & meal) providing experiential revenue and brand engagement.
- Merchandise Sales: Online store selling branded merchandise including clothing, accessories, and promotional items ranging from $15 to $165.
- Ale House Restaurants: 14 Speight's Ale House locations across New Zealand serve as both distribution channels for on-tap beer and revenue-generating hospitality venues.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brewery Tour - Adult |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brewery Tour - Child |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Brewery Tour & Meal |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Merchandise - Apparel & Accessories |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Speight's product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Speight's is a New Zealand heritage brewery founded in 1876 producing traditional ales, lagers, ciders, and craft beers across three product ranges. The company operates 14 franchise Ale House restaurant-pubs across New Zealand, offers interactive brewery tours at its historic Dunedin facility, and sells branded merchandise through an online store. Beer products are distributed through retail channels including supermarkets, liquor stores, and convenience outlets.
Product overview
Speight's is a New Zealand brewery founded in 1876 in Dunedin, producing a portfolio of alcoholic beverages organized into three main product lines: Heritage Range (traditional award-winning ales including Gold Medal Ale, Mid Ale, and Old Dark), Summit Range (crisp lagers including Summit Ultra, Summit Ultra Lime, Summit Lime, and Alcohol Free options), and Ale House Range (craft beers and cider available on tap at Speight's Ale House locations, including Triple Hop Pilsner, Empire Ale IPA, Hazy Pale Ale, and Cloudy Apple Cider). Beyond beverages, Speight's operates 14 Ale House restaurant/pub locations across New Zealand, provides interactive brewery tours at its historic Dunedin facility, runs a loyalty program (Speight's Mates), and sells branded merchandise through its online store.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Summit Range: Lager range balancing crisp refreshment with great taste, including Summit Ultra, Summit Ultra Lime, Summit Lime, and Alcohol Free variants.
- Heritage Range
- Ale House Range
- Summit Ultra
Products and services
- Gold Medal Ale Flagship heritage ale with a dry finish, full malt and hop flavor, recommended with meat dishes and Southern game such as venison, duck and rabbit.
- Mid Ale Mid-strength ale (ABV 2.5%) brewed using Crystal, Caramalt and Chocolate malts with Pacific Jade and Green Bullet hops, offering a smooth caramelized flavor balanced with bitterness.
- Old Dark Dark beer crafted with 5 separate roasted malts delivering rich, creamy chocolate fudge flavors with coffee overtones. Best paired with fine NZ cheeses or chocolate desserts.
- Summit Ultra Low carb golden lager with 75% less carbs than average NZ beer brands, featuring crisp hop bitterness. Available in 330ml cans (24 pack), 500ml single cans (6 pack), and 745ml Quartz bottles.
- Summit Ultra Lime Low carb lager (ABV 4.2%) with zesty lime twist, brewed for longer with 75% less carbs than average NZ beer brands. Pairs well with fresh seafood and spicy dishes.
- Summit Lime Easy drinking lager (ABV 4.0%) blended with refreshing splash of lime, balanced taste without bitterness. Made with light malts, subtle hops and citrus.
- Alcohol Free
- Cloudy Apple Cider
- Triple Hop Pilsner Craft pilsner available on tap at Ale House locations, with 481 kJ per 330ml serving.
- Empire Ale IPA
- Hazy Pale Ale
- Brewery Tours
- Speight's Ale House Restaurants Restaurant/pub chain with 14 locations across New Zealand offering the full range of Speight's beers on tap plus Southern fare food menu.
- Branded Merchandise
- Speight's Mates Loyalty Program
Quantifiable outcome
- Gold Medal Ale won 2 gold medals at Melbourne Exhibition in 1880
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Speight's
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Speight's technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Speight's partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HighlanderscoreOfficial sponsorship partnership with the Highlanders rugby team. Speight's has sponsored the Dunedin senior rugby competition since 1977 when it became the Speight's Championship.
- Otago RugbycorePartnership with Otago Rugby Football Union. Speight's has been involved with local rugby sponsorship since 1977.
- Movember New ZealandminorPartnership supporting men's mental health awareness through the Movember initiative. Aligns with Speight's brand positioning around mateship.
- Joey WheelerminorInfluencer partnership with Joey Wheeler (social media personality) who presented the 2024 Speight's Great Mate Awards.
- Go Media Stadium (Warriors)coreSpeight's Clubhouse hospitality venue at Go Media Stadium, the home ground of the New Zealand Warriors NRL team. Provides game-day hospitality experiences.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Speight's competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Asahi Group Holdings: Asahi is a major global brewer with a meaningful NZ presence (Asahi, Super Dry, Beck's, Stella Artois) directly competing for mainstream and premium on-premise tap listings alongside Speight's.
- Coopers Brewery: Coopers is Australia's largest family-owned brewery and a comparable heritage, family-positioned beer brand competing with Speight's across retail and on-premise channels in the trans-Tasman market.
- Heineken: Heineken is a global brewing incumbent whose premium lager portfolio (Heineken, Sol, Tiger) competes with Speight's Summit and heritage ranges across retail and on-premise accounts in NZ and Australia.
- Lion (Beer, Spirits & Wine NZ): Lion is Speight's parent company and the broader incumbent behind Speight's, Steinlager, Mac's, and other NZ beer brands; it competes with DB and global brewers across mainstream, craft, and hospitality channels.
- Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi): CUB owns Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught and other mainstream Australian heritage beer brands directly comparable to Speight's in positioning, sponsorship strategy, and on-premise scale.
Emerging players
- Garage Project: Garage Project is one of New Zealand's highest-profile craft breweries, sharing Speight's Wellington market footprint and competing for craft taps and limited-release consumer attention.
- Panhead Custom Ales: Panhead Custom Ales (now under Lion) is a craft brand competing with Speight's Ale House Range on craft taps and in the on-premise hospitality channel.
- Sawmill Brewery: Sawmill is a Matakana/Northland-based craft brewery with a comparable brewery-tourism and on-premise tap experience model to Speight's Dunedin brewery-tour offering.
- Tuatara Brewing Company: Tuatara is a leading NZ craft brewer overlapping with Speight's Ale House craft range (IPAs, pilsners, hazy pale ales) and competing for the same on-premise tap real estate and premium consumer occasion.
Direct peers
- DB Breweries: DB Breweries (Saison, Tui, Export, Monteiths) is Speight's closest direct competitor in the New Zealand mainstream beer market, with overlapping retail, on-premise, and rugby-adjacent sponsorship strategies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Speight's social profiles
Digital presenceSpeight's financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Speight's leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Speight's funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Speight's M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Speight's
What does Speight's do?
Speight's is a New Zealand heritage brewery founded in 1876 producing traditional ales, lagers, ciders, and craft beers across three product ranges. The company operates 14 franchise Ale House restaurant-pubs across New Zealand, offers interactive brewery tours at its historic Dunedin facility, and sells branded merchandise through an online store. Beer products are distributed through retail channels including supermarkets, liquor stores, and convenience outlets.
Is Speight's a public or private company?
Speight's is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Speight's founded?
Speight's was founded in 1876. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Speight's based?
Speight's is headquartered in Dunedin, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Speight's make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Beer Sales are the primary driver. The others are brewery Tours, merchandise Sales and ale House Restaurants.
Who are Speight's's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Asahi Group Holdings, Coopers Brewery, Heineken, Lion (Beer, Spirits & Wine NZ) and Carlton & United Breweries (Asahi). Emerging players are Garage Project, Panhead Custom Ales, Sawmill Brewery and Tuatara Brewing Company. DB Breweries is listed as a direct peer.
Does Speight's have an API?
No public API is recorded for Speight's.
What industry is Speight's in?
Speight's's product category is Beer Manufacturing & Brewery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFALAD, Regional & National Breweries, with a secondary code of THAFALAA, Brewpubs & Taprooms (On-site Beer Service). Its NAICS code is 31212 and its SIC code is 2082.