Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins becomes first outside investor in booming boutique brewer going for its hat-trick of venues
Pat Cummins was buying Mountain Culture beer out of his own pocket, they swear, but he’s now dug deeper into those pockets to buy a slice of the local company that’s enjoyed an extraordinary spell of expansion.
The NSW Blue Mountains-founded brewery Mountain Culture only opened its doors in 2019, at the peak of the boutique-brewery boom. But where others have fallen over since the post-COVID-19 tax hangover, it has thrived and is about to complete its hat-trick of venues – taking on the failed Atomic brewery site in inner Sydney Redfern.
Atomic was one of the 20 or so breweries that have closed annually since the pre-COVID peak of about 600 breweries in Australia.
Mountain Culture claims category-defying 33% year-on-year growth. It was forced to shift the bulk of its brewing from Katoomba to a large industrial site at Emu Plains, on the Sydney side of the Blue Mountains, to meet demand.
“Our packaging manager happened to live next door to the Cummins’ family and dropped some merch over the back fence and we were stoked when we saw him wearing it,” Mountain Culture co-founder Harriet McReady said.
“But then we saw him drinking the beer, which he’d bought of his own volition, and that’s when we thought, ‘Hey maybe Pat wants to join us on our mission to bring really good beer to Australia.’”
The location played a role in Cummins’s decision. “I’ve been a superfan for some time,” Cummins told Forbes Australia. “I tried Status Quo Pale Ale and that was love at first sight. That was about three years ago and there’s always a couple in the fridge.
“I invested in Mountain Culture for two reasons. First of all, just the pull to the mountains. I grew up here, all my family grew up here. And then two, the product. I’ve never really tasted anything like it.”
McReady said Cummins wants to be more than a silent backer.
“We always knew that if we ever brought on investors, it would be because we found someone who strongly aligned with our values. With Pat, he shares the same ethos of wanting to be the best in your field – he leads the best cricket team in the world and we’re trying to run the best brewery in the world.
“We also found someone who believes in authenticity like we do. He really wants to put in the hard work; he wants to get his hands dirty and is really involved in the business. He doesn’t just want to be a pretty face – even though he is one!”
Cummins is the first outside investor to come in with McReady and her brewer husband, US-born DJ McReady.
Mountain Culture produces more than 3m litres annually, having added more than 1,000 distribution points in the last year. It claims 45% of its drinkers are aged between 18-34, bucking the category trend.
Asked why Mountain Culture had succeeded where others have failed, DJ McReady said e-commerce had been key. “Our site sells as much as both of our pubs combined to this day. And a lot of breweries will make the mistake of getting too in bed with Dan Murphy’s and BWS and that’s great for a while and then all of a sudden it’s a race to the bottom. Then they de-range you and you’re left with nothing.”
