There’s changes to packaging waste regulations, cost increases across the board and the climate impacting crop yields, to name just a few.
With so many unknowns, pressures and distractions, it can shift our focus from the one thing the industry can’t afford to overlook – maintaining our high standards.
This applies to every aspect of a hospitality business, from ensuring someone’s first sip of Tribute, Proper Job, korev or any of our other beers tastes as good as it always has, to the experience people have when they visit one of our 160-plus St Austell Brewery pubs across the south-west.
It also includes ensuring top-quality customer service through our wholesale division, keeping our drays on the road to deliver beer not only to our pubs but to others across the UK.
Core job and passion
It’s easy to get bogged down in the logistics of business – and that aspect is of course important too – but as brewers, our core job and passion lies in creating delicious, award-winning beers.
Last year, unpredictable weather had us on tenterhooks about how our UK-grown malt and hops – two of the four core ingredients for beer – would fare. Thankfully, the raw materials we use didn’t mind the wet weather (unlike me!) but Europe has been hit by poorer yields.
As yields drop, prices rise due to supply and demand, so it’s understandable how others might consider changing things up.
We’ve built strong, lasting relationships with our farmers and suppliers and know them personally, so that tact isn’t something we’d consider.
We take the time to walk through our barley fields each summer with our brewers, growers and seed merchants to assess the crop, so we understand any challenges ahead.
A place to come together
As a 174-year-old independent and family-owned business, upholding standards has allowed us to stand the test of time. It’s not just about the beer but the whole experience.
Our pubs are places for people to come together – the heart of the community.
Everything encompassed in that service from the smile customers receive when they walk in, the food offering focusing on local and sustainable produce, to the matching glassware for their drink ensures people can rely on having a brilliant time with first-rate hospitality.
It’s crucial breweries and pubs deliver on their quality promise, maintaining their focus on excellence in both beer and service.
Regardless of external pressures, the industry must continue to uphold the standards that define it.
