Dermot O’Donnell joins Pacific Beverages

For over 30 years Mr O’Donnell has filled various technical roles at Courage Australia, Toohey’s (Lion Nathan) and Foster’s.

Well known in the industry for his expertise in New Product Development, it is an open secret that Mr O’Donnell will assist Pacific Beverages in achieving beer volumes to the order of 500,000 hl during its first year by launching various domestic brands to fight CUB’s Victoria Bitter and Lion Nathan’s Tooheys and Hahn.

The Coca-Cola Amatil-SABMiller joint venture also plans to brew Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Grolsch and Miller brands locally.

The joint venture was set up in 2006 and commissioning for a new AUD 120 million (EUR 85 million) brewery began in 2008.

The state-of-the-art Bluetongue brewery, which will officially be opened in late July this year, includes a cellar door, brewery tours and visitors’ centre. Brewing began in mid-June.