Everards celebrates hat-trick at SIBA awards

Brewer Everards was celebrating last night after being crowned Overall Champion at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Brewing Business Awards.

The Leicester company was rewarded for Project William - a collaboration with newer and smaller brewers to reopen pubs that have closed down or fallen on hard times. Everards provide the money to buy and refurbish the pubs and their new partners take over the running of them.

Speaking to The Publican​ at the ceremony at The Institute of Directors in London, David Harrison, operations director tenanted trade, said he was thrilled with the win.

He said: "It's an ongoing project - it has been going for two years - so it can be measured and we can see it's a viable way of moving forward.

"It is really nice to get recognition and we are looking forward to finding new brewers to work with."

Project William also helped Everards land the Best Innovation award. The brewer picked up a third award - Best Use of Electronic Media - for its Mission Enjoyable campaign.

Other winners on the night included the Slaughterhouse Brewery in Warwick which was highly commended in the Overall Champion category and winner of Best Support for an On-Trade Customer, which was sponsored by The Publican​.

And the Freedom Brewery, in Staffordshire, won awards for both Best Packaging Initiative and Best Point of Sale.

2008 Brewing Business Awards — full results

Overall champion: Everards Brewery, Leicester; highly commended, Slaughterhouse Brewery, Warwick.

Best support for an off-trade customer: Beeston Brewery, Beeston, Norfolk, on behalf of the East Anglian Brewers' Co-operative.

Best support for an on-trade customer: Slaughterhouse Brewery, Warwick.

Best public relations initiative: Castle Rock Brewery, Nottingham; highly commended, Slaughterhouse Brewery, Warwick.

Best use of electronic media: Everards Brewery, Leicester.

Best innovation: Everards Brewery, Leicester; highly commended, Iceni Brewery, Norfolk.

Best promotion initiative: Moorhouses Brewery, Burnley.

Best packaging initiative: Freedom Brewery, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire; highly commended, Fyne Ales, Cairndow, Argyll.

Best sponsorship: Wold Top Brewery, Wold Newton, East Yorkshire.

Best launch: Wye Valley Brewery, Stoke Lacy, Herefordshire.

Best point of sale: Freedom Brewery, Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire.