A YORK entrepreneur and his German-based business partner have launched an importing venture in a bid to share the secrets of the Bavarian brewing industry.

Bayern Beer Coy was set up last year to bring rare, undiscovered lagers from the Bavarian Alps to Yorkshire.

The company is based in York alongside co-director Graeme Kyle, while his business partner, Kieron Kane, is based in Munich.

The pair have been working with Mittenwald, Bavaria’s highest brewery, importing two of its beers, and have recently agreed an exclusivity contract to supply to the UK.

Their business model has been set up around identifying the best two or three breweries from the 600 independent lager brewers in Bavaria, and importing a selection of their finest lager beers.

Mr Kyle said: “There are a lot of really great, privately owned breweries in Bavaria that only really sell to the region they are in.

“The big suppliers of continental beer simply go to Munich and pick up an industria-scale brewer and add it to their portfolio.

“However there are 599 other brewers they can be exporting out of the area.

“We are trying to do something a bit more unique and recognise Bavaria is the best beer-brewing region in the world and are digging a bit deeper to see what we can find there, finding beers that have never been sampled in the UK.”

Bayern Beer Coy, which has imported 13,000 bottles so far, started as a sideline venture for Mr Kyle, who runs his own financial services consultancy business, and his former university friend Mr Kane, whose background is in mobile phones. While Mr Kane is working to source the next lagers to import, Mr Kyle is agreeing a growing list of supply deals back in Yorkshire.

The business currently supplies its Mittenwald lagers to a number of York bars and restaurants including Trembling Madness, Star Inn the City, 1331, Duke of York, Stonegate Yard and Plonkers.