Member Article

Hyde start-up create microbrewery with £18k loan

Hyde-based entrepreneur Sam Ward and his father have joined forces to launch their own microbrewery, The Tweed Brewing Company, after receiving a £18k loan from Start Up Now, the North West arm of the government’s national £150 million Start Up Loans programme that is delivered by Business Finance Solutions (BFS).

The beers are already being snapped up by bars and pubs across Manchester including The Marble Arch and Joshua Brooks.

The company is also currently in talks with a major supermarket to trial stocks of the ales and will be showcasing a number of them at the Manchester Winter Ales festival taking place at the Velodrome at the end of January, including their infamous Winter Tweed & Black Shire Stout.

Following an initial research trip in 2014, the company also has plans to re-visit the US later this year to meet the growing demand in New York and Las Vegas for high quality British craft beers.

Sam said: “There is a real lack of imagination in this industry generally and we want The Tweed Brewing Company to be at the forefront of innovation and invention in brewing and to open people’s eyes to the varieties of ales that can be produced.

“We went to see Business Finance Solutions because we needed funding to buy the equipment and they were also able to help us with our business planning and also put us in contact with distributors in and around Manchester.

“With their support we now have a great range of flavours to meet the demands of drinkers today who are looking for something new and are appreciative of the work and craft that goes into a non-mass produced ale.”

Director of Business Finance Solutions, Paul Breen, said: “Craft brewing is a huge growth industry in the North West and Sam and Dave have already proved they have a great product that is selling well.

“Britain now has 1200 breweries, a number that has increased by 10% in each of the last two years; a rise that has not been seen for more than 70 years.

“Micro- breweries like The Tweed Brewing Company are at the vanguard of this trend and are meeting the demands of drinkers, retailers and bars and restaurants for new and more interesting beer styles.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .