Bundaberg Brewed Drinks
An Australian family-owned beverage company known for brewed ginger beer and a broad range of non-alcoholic carbonated drinks.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Bundaberg Brewed Drinks Pty Ltd is an Australian family-owned producer of non-alcoholic beverages based in Bundaberg, Queensland. The company is best known internationally for its brewed ginger beer, but its range also includes fruit-flavoured carbonated drinks, traditional soft drinks, diet variants, mixers and seasonal releases. Its products are sold in Australia and exported to more than 60 countries. The business began in Bundaberg in 1960 as a bottling and fermenting operation. In 1968, Cliff and Lee Fleming, together with their parents, acquired the business then known as Electra Breweries. The Fleming family subsequently developed the company as a locally rooted beverage producer, retaining a focus on brewing rather than simply blending carbonated drinks. This point of difference became central to the brand identity when the company adopted the name Bundaberg Brewed Drinks in 1995 and introduced the promise “Brewed to Be Better.” Ginger beer became the company’s signature product and the foundation for a wider portfolio that includes traditional flavours such as sarsaparilla, lemon lime and bitters, passionfruit, pink grapefruit and blood orange. Bundaberg has also used limited editions and collaborations to create seasonal interest. Its Spiced Ginger Beer, released periodically during the festive season since 2014, adds cinnamon and clove notes to the original ginger beer profile. Other extensions have included 200ml Mini Cans, collaborative food products and a reduced-sugar, reduced-calorie Refreshingly Light range introduced in 2025. The company has expanded internationally while remaining operationally associated with Bundaberg. In 2007, John McLean, Cliff Fleming’s son-in-law, became chief executive. In 2018, Bundaberg entered a distribution partnership with PepsiCo for the United States; the companies remained separate businesses. The arrangement supported broader American distribution without changing Bundaberg’s family-owned identity. Manufacturing capacity was expanded through a new Master Brewery in Bundaberg, opened in 2023 after two years of construction. The purpose-built facility was designed to increase production and support future expansion. The same year, the business was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame. It was also recognised as Queensland Exporter of the Year in 2022, while founder Cliff Fleming received appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2024 for service to business and the Bundaberg community. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks also operates a visitor attraction, the Bundaberg Barrel, which opened in 2005. The facility presents the brand’s history and products and offers interactive tastings of the flavour range. Its visitor experience received Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice recognition in 2023 and 2024. Overall, the brand combines family ownership, regional Australian provenance, brewing-led production and international distribution.
History
Bundaberg Brewed Drinks traces its origins to a bottling and fermenting business established in Bundaberg, Queensland, in 1960. The operation was acquired in 1968 by Cliff and Lee Fleming together with their parents. At that point it traded as Electra Breweries and was operated as a family business spanning two generations. The Fleming family gradually built the business around brewed non-alcoholic beverages, with ginger beer becoming its defining product. In 1995, the company adopted the name Bundaberg Brewed Drinks. The rebranding emphasised its regional identity and introduced the “Brewed to Be Better” promise, communicating brewing as the principal distinction between its products and conventional soft drinks. The company expanded its range over time to include fruit beverages, lemon lime and bitters, sarsaparilla, diet products and other carbonated drinks. It also developed seasonal and collaborative products. Spiced Ginger Beer became a recurring festive release from 2014, while the 200ml Mini Can range launched in 2021 with several of the brand’s leading flavours. A Blood Orange Mini Can was added in 2023. The portfolio has also included collaborations involving chocolate, potato chips and alcoholic ginger beer made with Bundaberg Rum. Bundaberg Brewed Drinks established a consumer-facing tourism operation in 2005 with the opening of the Bundaberg Barrel. Located in Bundaberg East, the attraction gives visitors an introduction to the company and allows them to taste the wider flavour range through an interactive experience. The attraction received Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice recognition in both 2023 and 2024. Leadership remained connected to the founding family. John McLean, Cliff Fleming’s son-in-law, became chief executive in 2007. In March 2018, the company partnered with PepsiCo to distribute Bundaberg beverages in the United States. The arrangement was a distribution partnership rather than a merger or acquisition, and Bundaberg and PepsiCo continued as separate companies. International growth led to greater manufacturing requirements. After two years of construction, Bundaberg Brewed Drinks opened a new Master Brewery in 2023. The Bundaberg facility was designed to raise production capacity and provide room for future expansion while maintaining the company’s local manufacturing base. The business received several forms of institutional recognition during this period. It was named Queensland Exporter of the Year at the 2022 Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards and inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2024, Cliff Fleming was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to business and the Bundaberg community. In April 2025, the company broadened its better-for-you offering with the Refreshingly Light range, consisting of three lower-sugar and lower-calorie flavours in 250ml cans. The company remains a family-owned Australian producer with distribution extending across more than 60 countries.
- 2025
Refreshingly Light range launches
[1]Bundaberg introduced three lower-sugar and lower-calorie soft drinks in 250ml cans.
- 2023
Master Brewery opens
[1]A new purpose-built Master Brewery opened in Bundaberg after two years of construction.
- 2022
Queensland Exporter of the Year
[1]Bundaberg Brewed Drinks received the Queensland Exporter of the Year award.
- 2021
Mini Can range launches
[1]The company introduced 200ml Mini Cans in several core flavours.
- 2018
United States distribution partnership
[1]Bundaberg entered a partnership with PepsiCo to distribute its beverages in the United States.
- 2007
John McLean becomes chief executive
[1]John McLean, the son-in-law of founders Cliff and Lee Fleming, took over as CEO.
- 2005
Bundaberg Barrel opens
[1]The company opened the Bundaberg Barrel visitor attraction and tasting facility.
- 1995
Bundaberg Brewed Drinks name introduced
[1]The business adopted its current name and introduced the “Brewed to Be Better” brand promise.
- 1968
Fleming family acquires Electra Breweries
[1]Cliff and Lee Fleming and their parents acquired the business then known as Electra Breweries.
- 1960
Business established in Bundaberg
[1]A bottling and fermenting business was established in Bundaberg, Queensland.
Products and positioning
A premium, family-owned Australian soft-drink producer differentiated by brewed production methods, distinctive flavour profiles, Bundaberg provenance and an emphasis on craft-style authenticity.
Brewed soft drink
Ginger Beer
Bundaberg’s signature product and its best-known international offering. It anchors the company’s identity around brewed, rather than merely mixed, soft drinks and serves as the base for seasonal and collaborative variations.
Diet soft drinks
Diet range
The diet portfolio includes Diet Ginger Beer, Diet Lemon Lime and Bitters, and Diet Sarsaparilla or Root Beer. These products extend several core Bundaberg flavours to consumers seeking lower-sugar alternatives.
Seasonal limited release · 2014
Spiced Ginger Beer
A recurring festive-season variation on the original ginger beer. It uses cinnamon and clove notes to create a warmer seasonal flavour profile and has been released periodically since 2014.
Small-format soft drinks · 2021
Mini Cans
The 200ml Mini Can range was introduced with Ginger Beer, Passionfruit, Lemon Lime and Bitters, and Pink Grapefruit. Blood Orange was added to the range in 2023.
Reduced-sugar soft drinks · 2025
Refreshingly Light
A range introduced in April 2025 with Raspberry and Pomegranate, Apple and Lychee, and Lemon and Watermelon flavours. The products are packaged in 250ml cans and positioned as lighter options with less sugar and fewer calories.
Brand decisions
2023
Investment in a new Master BreweryStrategyBackground
International demand and the company’s expanding product portfolio required additional production capacity.
Action taken
Bundaberg opened a purpose-built Master Brewery in Bundaberg after two years of construction.
Aftermath
The facility increased production capability and was designed to accommodate future expansion while retaining manufacturing in Bundaberg.
2018
PepsiCo United States distribution partnershipM&ABackground
Bundaberg was expanding outside Australia and required broader distribution in the United States.
Action taken
The company partnered with PepsiCo to distribute its beverages in the United States while remaining a separate business.
Aftermath
The partnership supported access to the United States market without transferring ownership of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks to PepsiCo.
1995
Rebrand around brewed productionStrategyBackground
The company sought to establish a distinctive local identity and communicate how its products differed from conventional soft drinks.
Action taken
It changed its name to Bundaberg Brewed Drinks and introduced the “Brewed to Be Better” promise.
Aftermath
Brewing became the central product and brand distinction used in the company’s domestic and international positioning.
Sources1 sources
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