On Sunday evening, Bintani was named Supplier of the Year at the 2024 Beer & Brewer Awards, a new category for 2024 which recognised the supplier as being at the forefront of innovation and providing best-in-class customer and industry support.
In its first ever live ceremony held in partnership with Sydney Beer Week, the 2024 Beer & Brewer Awards recognised the best people, breweries, bars and suppliers, and Bintani’s Technical Sales Specialist Annika Klee was on hand to accept the award.
“It’s amazing, such good feedback from our customers to know that we’re doing our job and that they love us. In our case, [the key to being a good supplier] is definitely customer service, going the extra mile and making it work for our customers, it’s what we’re here to do,” she said.
Judges’ comments for Bintani, a wholesale distributor specialising in malt ingredients, Australian and international hops and yeast, praised the supplier for being supportive of the industry, and always showing a willingness to sponsor and reinvest.
“Bintani has an extensive catalogue of top quality products and will always answer the phone with top tier customer service. On the West Coast they have just invested in a new warehouse space, cool room and office facility to see them and their customers into the future, and Fabian might possibly be the nicest rep in the country,” one of the comments stated.
Reflecting on the win, Brandon Ward, Marketing Manager for Bintani, said it was a real honour to be recognised among so many of Australia’s suppliers.
“It’s nice for the whole team to get the affirmation that all their hard work is valued and pays off. We pride ourselves on our service, product offering and industry support. More than ever, I think suppliers need to be taking a holistic approach across all of these to deliver in a changing market.”
Telling Beer & Brewer what it is about the brewing industry that continues to excite him, Ward said: “The continued evolution across the full supply chain, from farming practices to final product in the consumers hand – particularly in the connection to land and community.
“We are seeing a lot of innovative products coming through for brewing which have practical benefits in improving beer but also give environmental benefits. Being able to include this as part of the story and connect drinkers back to a producer is very exciting.”
As the industry continues to evolve, so does Bintani, and Ward shared a glimpse into the future of the business.
“We are looking to continue to expand our sustainability projects as we know that is important to our brewer partners as well as ourselves. Continuing to provide more bespoke product offerings and options for brewers is something we are exploring too,” Ward continued.
Also in the running for Supplier of the Year was Hop Products Australia, which was recognised as Highly Commended.