CHAMBER NEWS
Brewing up a storm thanks to Growth Hub grant
A Melton Mowbray brewery is set to double its output this year thanks to a grant from the Business Gateway Growth Hub and its ability to adapt the production of its world-class craft beers during the Covid-19 crisis. Round Corner Brewing (RCB)
secured a £25,000 business growth grant to help it create an in-house canning line so it could continue selling its products to retailers and online rather than in pubs after lockdown begun.
‘People in lockdown wanted their beer at home’
It is part of a near £200,000
investment in the business as it has also bought a can wrap-around labeller and date-coding inkjet printer alongside other kit. CEO Combie Cryan said: “The
canning line marks a pivot in our business away from a focus solely on draft beer sold in pubs and into cans sold in retail outlets.
“The grant has had a critical
impact on our business. People in lockdown wanted their beer at home – with this investment, we’ve been able to go national and chase high-volume business, all with a greater level of confidence in the quality of the product. “We can now produce retail-
ready beer and react to the market much quicker as things change. “We’re looking at an exponential
increase in sales from a low base of 10,000 cans in 2019 to 75,000 this year, and double that by 2021.” Although RCB is just two years
old, it has already won numerous industry awards, including best draft lager in the world at the International Brewing Awards for its Gunmetal Black Lager in 2019, As the country went into
lockdown, the demand for beer switched overnight from pubs and bars – which represented 95% of its business – to shops, supermarkets and online, although this trend towards retail was already
Colin Paige and Combie Cryan with Business Gateway business adviser Ann Cook and support officer Rita Ram at Round Corner Brewing
happening before the pandemic. For RCB, it marked a huge opportunity, but the company couldn’t supply to retailers without a major investment, particularly as it outsourced canning of its beers to third parties that weren’t as quality and deadline-focused as RCB needed them to be. The grant was secured following
support from Business Gateway adviser Ann Cook and support officer Rita Ram. Combie praised the “robust”
support from Ann and Rita, saying: “We were challenged on all the right things, but they had an eye on the end results as Covid had contracted timescales.”
Ann added: “Combie and his
team were quick to react to what has been a devastating time for many businesses. I’m delighted the business growth grant has enabled RCB to capitalise on the opportunity and switch its focus to what the market now demands.” The Business Gateway Growth
Hub is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and run in partnership with the Chamber, Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). For more information, visit
www.bizgateway.org.uk/business- growth-grant/
business network November 2020 29
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