Finance deal boost for Sheffield brewery
Abbeydale Brewery, on Aizlewood Road, received the sum by NatWest after showing consistent growth in the past few years.
Abbeydale Brewery director Dan Baxter told The Morning Advertiser (MA): “The budget the bank gave last year was spent on brewery equipment and revamping the pub sites. There are further negotiations happening as we speak.”
He added: “The bank has supported us for a number of years, we've always kept a tight grasp on our margins and future planning.
“We thought, let's have a go at it and see the fruits of all our hard work.”
New projects
In the past 18 months, the company has undertaken a series of refurbishments and investments, including a 60-barrel fermenter and a 40-barrel conditioning tank.
The brewery’s two Sheffield-based pubs – the Rising Sun and the Devonshire Cat – have both undergone extensive refurbishments and have doubled their turnover year on year.
The company’s core range of cask ales – Moonshine, Deception, Daily Bread, Absolution and Black Mass – have also undergone pump clip rebranding.
Baxter said: “We are very pleased which the original artwork, but we knew the time had come to reinvest in our artwork for our treasured core beers.
“We wanted to make sure that our existing drinkers still recognised their favourite beers, while giving our publican customers pump clips they could be proud to display, reinforcing the great-quality beers we produce.”
Cans plans
Baxter said the company was planning to start is canned-beer range as early as March 2017.
He told MA: “We are a large pack brewer, we only do cask and keg. We've never done bottles or cans before.
“We want to start with our American pale ale ‘Heathen’ and we're also planning on planning a series of specials for the craft drinking market in cask, keg and can in the next few months.”
The company has a £4m turnover and now employs more than 70 people across its brewery and its pubs.
‘Fantastic’ local business
NatWest senior relationship manager Will Islip said: “Abbeydale Brewery is a fantastic local business in the heart of Sheffield that is committed to sustainable growth strategy.
“The investment in some of its signature brands and in its pub network is a testament to this and we wish the business every success for the future.”
