By Adam Wakefield

“We started distributing another brand in Gauteng, Mitchells from Knysna. We brought it up here, started very small and then we lost that contract, so we decided to start our own brand because we had access to the distribution network and the relationships set up in the trade,” Dyllan says. “That’s how Aces Brew Worx was born. You should always have an ace up your sleeve. That’s how we got the name and we’ve never looked back.”

The first 800 litre batch of Aces Lager, their flagship brand, was produced about two and a half years ago. Today, the Roach brothers are distributing about 30 000 litres of Aces Lager a month. They also distribute a combined 5000 litres a month of their three other brands, being the Irish Red ale, Kristall Weiss, and Barenaked Blonde.

Currently available in Gauteng and the Western Cape, Aces Brew Worx will begin distributing in Durban in February next year, and from March, in places such as Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, and Knysna, among other towns in South Africa.

Craft breweries are independently owned, the range of flavours available is wider than those offered by commercial breweries, and craft brewers produce lower quantities of beer compared to commercial breweries.

Scale and size in certain ways gives commercial breweries a distinct advantage over their craft peers but, as Lliam explains, such scale and size inhibits innovation.

“We get to play in a completely different field to commercial brewers. They’ve got their rules, they’re stuck to their recipes. We can play, we’re not stuck to any ideals. Marketing wise, they’ve always got the upper-hand on us because they have the money to play, which we’ve never had,” Lliam says. “For us, it’s more a word-of-mouth, push each customer. Literally, sit in a bar and change people’s perception of beer.”

When Lliam and Dyllan launched Aces, they focused on having a recognisable logo, and more importantly, a recognisable bottle, which a beer consumer always interacts with.

“Everyone has got the same bottle in the craft industry in South Africa, which we are not that fond of. We couldn’t get our hands on a different bottle to everyone else. It had to be the general commercial 340ml or the craft 330 or 340ml,” Dyllan explains. 

To distinguish themselves, Aces Brew Worx decided to buck convention and paint the Aces Lager bottle white. While a risk at the time, it proved to be a success. It has also provided a blue print going forward, with their Kristall Weiss, Irish Red and Barenaked Blonde brands to be packaged in a similar fashion.

”Brand perception was extremely important. The white bottle was a differentiating factor on the shelf that we went with, while the logo symbolised a lot of things. It’s a phoenix within a spade, so that plays to the Aces side. The phoenix symbolises strength, soaring above the clouds, and above the competition, as we like to say,” Dyllan says, tongue firmly in cheek.
 
Asked what has been a key tenant in the success of Aces Brew Worx as a business, Dyllan’s answer boils down to one word: relationships.
“That’s where Lliam and I are really good. You will find Lliam on one Friday night in Joe’s pub and I will be in Grant’s pub. On Saturday, you will find us in other pubs because we want to show face and show we are supporting the guys that support our brands,” Dyllan says. 

“People are human beings. They appreciate discounts and things like that, but ultimately they want to build a relationship with someone and they want face time, and being in the beer and alcohol industry, it’s a social environment. If you are not a social person, you’re never going to do well in the industry, and that’s a problem with a lot of the craft brewers,” he says.

Being a brilliant chemical engineer and brew master might result in a fantastic tasting beer, but that does not plug the gap when it comes to social and business etiquette.

“We try not to be bullish in the trade. A lot of bigger craft brands are going round saying to people, ‘You need us. We are the biggest craft beer’ and generally that rubs people up the wrong way,” Dyllan explains. “We try and keep our feet on the ground. We are humble. Those kind of things are more important to customers than a specific price point or what marketing material you can come up with.”

For more information, visit acesbrew.com. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.