In a sign of its rapid expansion, Your Mates Brewing Co. has announced it will open a bowls club in Cooroy on the Sunshine Coast.

Choosing to open a bowls club may seem left-field for a business inherently focused on beer, but as marketing co-ordinator Rob Naylor explained, it was the right opportunity for the expanding business.

“We’ve been looking for a new venue for quite a while, and when this opportunity came up, we jumped at it because it’s allowing us to open a new venue that’s also a bit different to what we already do,” he told Brews News.

“We’re all about lifestyle, good times, good beers and good mates and this space allows for so many options for outdoor fun with mates.”

Dubbed as the ‘Your Mates BowlsPub’, the venue’s model will be similar to its current brewpub, focusing on providing a hospitality and events offering for the community.

“We reckon it’ll appeal to anyone that loves great craft beer, awesome food and a relaxed/fun-loving atmosphere,” Naylor said.

“If our current BrewPub is anything to go by, it’ll be a destination venue for a really diverse group of beer lovers.

“Community is a big thing for us, and a key aim is to make the BowlsPub a place the locals absolutely froth on, whilst also giving back to that community through charity/community events.”

Operating a bowls club will have its challenges as the sport is in a general state of decline however, the company acknowledges this.

“When bowls clubs are closing down all over the place, we’re stoked to be bringing a whole new concept to bowls clubs and giving one a new lease on life,” a media release by the company read.

Bowls Australia’s snapshot stats of 2021 indicated total participation numbers of 630,736, a 7.1 per cent decline since 2019.

Recently, DrinkWise and Bowls Australia also launched the ‘Lighter Choice. Better Bowls.’ campaign, which encourages lawn bowlers across Australia to choose zero, low and mid strength options.

The campaign will introduce these options as well as beer mats and posters at 1,846 bowls clubs across Australia.

With these challenges in mind, Naylor explained that the business hopes to have this venue appeal to all kinds of audiences.

“That’s all part of the fun with this venue – we get to give a new Your Mates take to the classic Aussie Bowlsy, bringing some fresh energy and widening the appeal to a younger audience.”

This move follows the brewery’s recent equity crowdfunding campaign, and announcement of its Larry Pale Ale joining new budget airline Bonza’s all-Australian menu.

The Your Mates BowlsPub is set to open on 6th January, 2023 in Cooroy, Queensland.