South Africa has overtaken South Korea as the world's largest exporter of cider, perry, mead and other fermented beverages.
In 2018, shipments from each country amounted to approximately 108 million liters. South Korea has long been a world leader in cider exports, but its supply has been rapidly declining, and as a result, it has halved over the past five years. In contrast, South Africa, by offering products at the lowest prices, increased its shipments to other countries.
Global Trade of Cider, Perry, and Mead 2014-2018
In 2018, approx. 1.1B litres of cider, perry, mead and other fermented beverages were exported worldwide; coming down by -2.8% against the previous year. Over the period under review, cider, perry and mead exports continue to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2017 when exports increased by 0.7% y-o-y. In that year, global cider, perry and mead exports reached their peak of 1.2B litres, and then declined slightly in the following year.
In value terms, cider, perry and mead exports stood at $1.5B (IndexBox estimates) in 2018.
Exports by Country
The countries with the highest levels of cider, perry and mead exports in 2018 were South Africa (108M litres), South Korea (108M litres), Sweden (102M litres), Germany (76M litres), Ireland (73M litres), the UK (66M litres), Belgium (59M litres), the Netherlands (53M litres), France (44M litres), Italy (41M litres), Lithuania (37M litres) and Japan (36M litres), together accounting for 71% of total export.
From 2014 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of exports, amongst the main exporting countries, was attained by the UK, while exports for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.
In value terms, the largest cider, perry and mead supplying countries worldwide were Japan ($210M), Sweden ($134M) and Italy ($112M), with a combined 30% share of global exports.
Among the main exporting countries, Japan recorded the highest rates of growth with regard to the value of exports, over the period under review, while exports for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.
Export Prices by Country
In 2018, the average cider, perry and mead export price amounted to $1.3 per litre, growing by 7.8% against the previous year.
Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was Japan ($5.8 per litre), while South Africa ($0.6 per litre) was amongst the lowest.
From 2014 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Japan, while the other global leaders experienced mixed trends in the export price figures.
