Pub to donate profits of self-brewed beer to charities supporting women

17-Mar-2022 - Last updated on 18-Mar-2022 at 13:38 GMT

Charity donations: almost a third of the profits from the social enterprise will also go towards organisations in the South Yorkshire area (image: Getty/CatLane)

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The Harlequin pub in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, will start creating beers at a local microbrewery next month (April), with the profits being donated to organisations supporting women and girls.

The pub will invest and take over its sister brewery, which closed in 2018 after the owner took a break from making beer. In doing so, they will set up a social enterprise, where profits from the brewery will be donated to organisations voted for by donors.

Owner Liz Aspden was “a little bit nervous, but mainly excited” to launch the enterprise. “It’s been such a horrible couple of years to the industry, that it's nice to have something positive to look forward to,” she said. “Because we've very much been in survival mode for the last couple of years, we’ve had to battle to stay open and stay afloat. So, having something new is really positive.”

Fundraising aim

Through donating to a Crowdfunder, people win a vote to help decide which charity should be picked for the profits to go to. Aspden hopes to raise £5,000 through the Crowdfunder to kickstart the brewery.

Some 30% of profits will also be ringfenced for organisations in South Yorkshire. “I’ve been involved in campaigning for the last five to six years,” she said. “It’s something that’s very close to my heart.”

The pub has previously run fundraising events for charities like Refuge, which supports victims of domestic violence, and AMAR Foundation, which helps those uprooted by conflict in the Middle East. Through raising funds through the brewery, they will be able to offer support in a more sustainable, long-term way.

Rewards available

People who donate to the Crowdfunder have the opportunity to win a variety of rewards: for £10, they win a pin badge and special offers from the brewery, and for £25 or above, T-shirts, limited-edition beers from the brewery can be won. For donations of £100 or more, people can nominate charities as well as just vote on them.

The response, so far, had been “really good”, according to Aspden. Lots of regular customers have chipped in, as well as people she knows through the internet. “We just need to keep pushing it for the next few weeks and see where we can get with it,” said.

Staff time will be split between the pub and the brewery, meaning new team members may have to be recruited at the pub.