By Jack Mendel
BrewDog has signed a deal with an alcohol distributor operating in Qatar, despite launching an ‘anti-sponsorship’ campaign this week protesting human rights in the country ahead of the World Cup.
The firm’s beers are distributed in the country by the Qatar Distribution Company – a state-owned subdsidiary of Qatar Airways – which is the only distributor of alcohol in the country,
It is understood the beer-maker does not deal directly with QDC, but with an intermediary which sells across the middle east and Qatar.
A widely shared image (above) of the beer on sale in Qatar has circulated on twitter.
The revelation comes after BrewDog launched an ‘anti-sponsorship campaign’ this week protesting against human rights abuses in Qatar, including a reported 6,500 deaths in the building of stadiums.
It said a series of fan-zones across the UK would be set up to watch the tournament as well, with human rights groups benefiting from profits from its Lost Lager range, sold during the tournament.
The Unite Union branded BrewDog’s campaign “disingenuous” while citing the pub chain’s own problems with its employees after hundreds signed a letter about the “culture of fear” at the company.
Asked about the deal signed with BrewDog, a spokesperson told City A.M. “we are pleased our campaign has struck a nerve and successfully raised huge awareness of the continued human rights abuses in Qatar.”
“We don’t sell direct to Qatar, but we do have a relationship with a distributor that sells into multiple middle eastern markets, primarily into Dubai but including Qatar.”
BrewDog then took a shot at other companies, saying: “Apple sells iPhones in Qatar – that doesn’t mean it endorses human rights abuses. Neither do we. We are doing our bit to raise awareness of these scandals and injustices and will keep doing so.”
“If people want to attack brands, maybe they’d be better off turning their attention to the likes of Adidas, Kia and Visa who are all official partners.”
One Twitter user, @FleetStSnitch, asked BrewDog why it had launched its ‘anti-sponsored of the World F*Cup’, while flagging the logo of the Qatari Distribution Company next to boxes of Brewdog beer.
Yesterday trade union Unite criticised the campaign launched by BrewDog, with its industrial organiser for the hospitality sector Bryan Simpson, branding it one of the worst employers in the industry.
He said “BrewDog have a cheek saying anything about workers rights when hundreds of their own workers (past and present) signed an open letter detailing a “culture of fear” with workers demanding an apology for “harassing, assaulting, belittling, insulting or gaslighting them”.
“This horrendous treatment was further reinforced by the much cited BBC Disclosure – The Truth About Brewdog in which corroborated a “toxic and misogynistic work culture” across the organisation.”
“This is yet another disingenuous advertising campaign designed to distract customers from the fact that BrewDog is one of the worst employers in the brewing industry when it comes to doing the right thing thing by workers”
A Brew Dog spokesperson told City A.M. “no other brewer has invested as much in mental health, well-being, or training as BrewDog.”
“We are a living wage employer, offer sabbaticals, healthcare, and a host of other benefits to all our people. We are the only brewer that shares 50 per cent of its retail profits with all bar staff.
“Where we’ve fallen short in the past we’ve apologised, and we’re a different business today – totally focused on becoming the best employer in our sector.”
In a separate statement, a BrewDog spokesperson added it “thought long and hard about whether we wanted to show matches in our bars but decided to do so for two reasons.
“One, if you love craft beer and you also love football you shouldn’t be denied the chance to enjoy them together just because FIFA is corrupt.
“Two, all profits from Lost Lager sold during the tournament will be donated to human rights charities. We will raise a lot more money if we show the matches in our bars”
It added that the company is “evaluating a number of charity partners and that “net profits will be calculated at the end of December and all donations will be made in January 2023.”
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