17 December 2019 – Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand: Premium Kiwi cider brand, Zeffer, has today announced it has entered into a new distribution agreement with leading alcohol beverage company, Lion NZ. Effective 2 March 2020, Zeffer’s luxury portfolio of hand-crafted ciders will be welcomed into the Lion NZ family as a great complement to the company’s market leading portfolio of beer and cider.
Zeffer offers a range of craft ciders from Crisp Apple to Rosé, all produced in small batches from their beautiful Hawke’s Bay Cidery and Orchard, using locally grown apples.
Zeffer CEO, Josh Townsend, says they’re excited to be working with Lion to help take Zeffer to the next level.
“Both the cider category, and Zeffer, are experiencing huge growth and we’re looking to invigorate that further with some really ambitious growth plans for our brand. It’s great to have Lion on board to support us, with their unrivalled distribution network allowing us to unlock new avenues and bring our premium cider range to more people.” Rory Glass, Managing Director of Lion NZ, says Lion is delighted to be welcoming these fantastic ciders into the family.
“Now in its 10th year, Zeffer is a real Kiwi success story and we’re incredibly proud to be joining them for this next stage of their journey. Zeffer’s premium portfolio complements our offering nicely and is well aligned to support Lion’s on-going commitment to deliver the very best brands and service to our customers and to consumers,” says Glass.
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Media enquiries:
Zeffer
Zeffer Marketing Manager
[email protected] 0275404055
Lion NZ
Lion External Communications Manager
[email protected], 0276414764
About Zeffer
Zeffer Cider Co is based in the sunny fruit bowl of Hawke’s Bay and makes premium craft cider with a New Zealand twist. Their all-natural, real cider is made from freshly crushed Hawke’s Bay apples by their expert cidermaking team and has won more than 60 top industry awards including overall Champion Cider at the International Cider Awards in 2017/18. Founded in 2009, Zeffer strives to craft world-class and imaginative ciders that open people’s minds to how great New Zealand cider can be. Their ciders are hand-crafted, gluten free and vegan friendly are made with a strong focus on sustainability and waste minimisation. Zeffer is one of the fastest growing cider brands in New Zealand and you’ll find it pouring in all corners of the country with every drop beginning its journey at their Hawke’s Bay cidery. For more information on Zeffer Cider follow them on Facebook www.facebook.com/zeffercider or visit www.zeffer.co.nz.
About Lion NZ
Lion is New Zealand’s leading alcohol beverage company with brands including Speight’s, Steinlager, Panhead, Wither Hills, Havana Coffee Works and Hopt Soda. The company employs around 1,200 people across its head office and The Pride in Auckland, Speight’s, Harrington’s, The Fermentist, Emerson’s and Panhead breweries, the Wither Hills winery, Havana Coffee Works and its LK retail stores. Lion has both the Gender and Rainbow Tick and has won many awards for closing the gender pay gap and embedding flexible working into the business. It is a founding member of responsible drinking charity Cheers!, runs its own alcohol education platform called Alcohol&Me and provides funding to support Health Promotion Agency’s moderation programmes. Lion is a founding signatory to the Climate Leaders Coalition and part of Sustainable Business Network and Sustainable Business Council. For more information on Lion NZ follow us on Twitter @Lion_NZ or visit www.lionco.com
