HARVIESTOUN Brewery has secured listings in scores of Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores in Scotland for canned versions of its award-winning beers after doubling its production capacity and introducing new brewing formats at its Clackmannanshire base.

Harviestoun, majority owned by Sandy Orr and Donald MacDonald since the duo took it back into private hands in 2008, will supply its popular Schiehallion and Bitter and Twisted ales to 95 Sainsbury’s and 80 Tesco stores north of the Border. A UK-wide introduction will then follow.

The deal builds on the presence that Harviestoun, founded by former Ford engineer Ken Brooker in 1983, continues to build in the Scottish and UK on and off-trades. Its brands are available in prestigious venues such as Gleneagles, The Balmoral and Turnberry, and are listed nationally by the likes of Waitrose and Majestic Wine. And the listing for its canned products suggests there is no immediate sign the thirst for Scottish craft beer is about to be slaked soon.

Harviestoun managing director Toby Knowles said the company has been investing heavily to ensure it can keep up with demand and allow it to explore different brewing formats.

The Alva brewery, which Mr Orr and Mr MacDonald acquired from Scottish & Newcastle shortly before the Edinburgh giant was acquired by Heineken, has doubled its production capacity to the equivalent of 4.5 million pints as year since 2013. It has recently invested £400,000 in equipment that allows it to package its beer in a range of alternative formats, from cans and mini kegs to 75cl bottles for sharing, and introduced a mixed kegging facility, meaning it can offer a range of seasonal ales.

Mr Knowles, who spent 16 years in the wine and spirit trade before joining Harviestoun in 2012, said the investment is a “statement of our ambition to really grow”.

“We have become much more of a national player in recent years,” he said. “We have a lot of business south of the Border as well. We’re putting a lot of sales guys on the ground.

“The priority is always the beer, so we are investing heavily in the brewhouse, giving ourselves more options, more opportunities to brew more exciting beers, but also put them into different formats.”

Harviestoun said the first batch of 41,500 cans were due to arrive in the Scottish supermarkets, where they are expected to be retailed in packs of four for £6, yesterday. It also sees big potential for the cans at outdoor events, such as music festivals.

The company’s headcount has increased to 21 since 2013, with its sales team now numbering seven. Recruits have also been brought in on the brewing side.

Asked to comment on the prospects for the craft beer generally in Scotland, Mr Knowles suggested there is plenty of scope for sales to build further.

He noted that craft beer is currently estimated to account for only 3.2 per cent of overall beer sales in Scotland. By contrast, it accounts for 12 per cent of beer sales in the US, where it is believed that the sector is five years ahead of Scotland in terms of maturity.

“I think we’re very much at the beginning of that curve.” Mr Knowles said. “As more and more bigger players in the on-trade recognise the importance in having craft beer on their bar… it is only going to grow.”

Mr Knowles expects there to be consolidation in the market, with the majors likely to snap up smaller brewers. But he ruled Harviestoun from making any takeover plays for the time being. “We’re just focusing on growing,” he said.

Harviestoun’s beers, which are exported to more than 20 countries, enjoy their biggest overseas market in the US. Mr Knowles said the Brexit vote was “concerning” but, pointing out that most of its biggest export markets are outside the European Union, noted it has recently seen higher demand from overseas because of the weakness of sterling.