Craft beer specialist Bierothek is undergoing a fundamental strategic transformation, marking a clear shift from hybrid beer retail to a streamlined back-end role in the direct-to-consumer beer market. This transition follows the exit of former majority shareholder Warsteiner Brauerei, a new logistics-focused alliance with Untappd, and the complete divestment of its traditional retail operations to the Austrian beer gift specialist Kalea.
Until late 2024, Warsteiner held 55.78% of Bierothek Group via its investment vehicle H.C. New Ventures One (inside.beer, 07.09.2023), but withdrew from the investment after failing to gain traction in direct beer e-commerce. In the wake of this exit, Günter Wiskot, CEO of Black Forest Consulting, increased his shareholding to 66.33% and now steers the company alongside Bierothek founder Christian Klemenz, shifting the company’s focus toward logistics and fulfillment partnerships.
A central pillar of this new orientation is the partnership with Untappd, the world’s largest beer discovery platform. Bierothek acts as logistics and fulfillment partner for the Untappd Shop, managing warehousing, excise tax handling, and shipping for orders in nine European countries—Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. This collaboration follows a successful model piloted in the Netherlands, where Swinkels Family Brewers serves as Untappd’s local partner.
As part of its broader strategic realignment, Bierothek has also divested its retail operations. Effective July 1, Kalea, known for curated beer boxes and innovative retail concepts, has taken over the segment previously referred to by Klemenz as “retail concepts,” including staff and key accounts such as Munich Airport. Former Bierothek executive Dirk Schneider has joined Kalea to manage these accounts, replacing Manuel Mutschler, who left Kalea’s sales team one year earlier.
