When Brad Cummings and Gareth (Gazz) Williams began home brewing in a garage shortly before 2010 they had no idea of the unbelievable journey they were about to embark on.
The former engineers who now own multi-million pound Newport-based business Tiny Rebel, worked for family business Whitehead Building Services in their twenties - where they met while on a work trip to Barcelona.
By chance, Gazz, from Blackwood, later married Marshfield-born Brad’s sister, and their family have been intertwined with the Tiny Rebel name ever since. The pair said Brad's dad, Ian Cummings, was the only person who believed in their brewery "dream" and agreed to loan them the money to start the business.
Speaking to WalesOnline from the Rogerstone brewery base they’ve called home since 2017, they reflected on a remarkable decade a week after they celebrated the company’s tenth anniversary.
In 2012 they recorded a tidy and in their words “astonishing” profit of £56,000. By the end of this financial year they forecast that figure to be more than £20m.
“Brad and I were working together at the time in engineering and we got transferred to Bristol when the company opened a branch there,” father of three Gazz, recalled - thinking back to 2008/09.
“We had our own office and it basically became more beer than work towards the end to be honest.”
Brad said: “We put recipes together and on the weekends I’d often be at Gazz’s house brewing in his back garden. Bristol Beer Factory was down the road from where we worked so we would shoot down there, have a look around and stock up on their beers for research."
The pair had grown frustrated that they needed to travel to Pontypridd, Bristol or London to drink “nice, hoppy” real ale.
“When I went to Brad’s family’s home I’d often take my own beer over and they’d ask what I was drinking,” Gazz explained.
“I’d always had an interest in real ale due to my grandad and being in his garage as a kid, where he brewed and still does. I used to make bottles of ginger beer and I really enjoyed it. I’d drink Brains SA too. People used to think I was uncool and say it was an old man’s drink, but I enjoyed the taste.”
Brad, who heads up the commercial and strategy side of the business while Gazz is the "master brewer" overseeing product review and development, said he reflected with pride and relief that the pair stuck to their guns at the time.
“People used to laugh at us,” he said. “People would ask why we were home brewing, why we didn’t just do brown beer, and tell us we wouldn’t have a sustainable business if we just made craft beer. We were in a recession at the time, so I could understand why people were saying it. Pubs were closing down and breweries were closing down so the timing wasn't ideal.”
It wouldn’t be overstating the hike in interest in craft ales in the UK in recent years to say the pair have ridden the crest of a wave. And to their shock things began to surpass expectations very early on, which they put down to quality produce and branding. The latter was a huge stroke of luck which has reaped significant reward.
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“Gazz and I would drive back from Bristol every day discussing ideas for a name for a business,” Brad said. “It was so hard. The harder we tried the worse it got.
“My brother was working in the US in 2010 and he came home with his wife for Christmas and told us he’d set his own company up there. Lee and Susan are gaming pioneers who also now also have a multi-million pound business in Newport called Tiny Rebel Studios. We thought Tiny Rebel was an incredible name that captured a small but different vision that most independent start-ups want.
“On Lee's business card was a sketchy rabbit with a knife through it. He found it online as a free thing you can pull off. The alias of the person who’d created this striking image was ‘Invisible Snow’. I found an email for them. Remarkably, when they could have been anywhere in the world, it was a woman called Tamsin Baker from Swindon.
"Taz agreed to get on board and help us with the design of the bear, and then after launch she became our first full-time employee. She still works with us now and is a massive part of the business.”
With Taz as designer, Gazz got to work on production and setting up the 2,500 square foot base at Maesglas Industrial Estate in Newport.
“Brad would be our sales and marketing guy and work with Taz on our brand and beer artwork," Gazz said. "I would design the recipe, brew the beer, and make sure it was a good enough quality to sell. In a nutshell that’s how it has stayed.”
That’s about the only thing that has remained the same, however. They now employ more than 160 people, they sell products in up to 40 countries, and they have now almost outgrown their still relatively new base at Wern Industrial Estate in Rogerstone which they’ve invested £8m in since 2017.
According to the Welsh Beer and Pub Association they own the biggest brewery in Wales and they have their sights set on top spot in the UK.
“That is our focus now,” an ambitious Brad said. “We want to continue being a leader in UK craft beer, diversify into new products, keep investing in our communities and continuously improve our sustainability. We’re going to be growing our retail division, Tiny Rebel bars, from three bars to nine over the next two years, targeting south Wales, south-west England and the Midlands.
“That’s our two-year plan but this year's focus is hitting our goal of £20m revenue, which we would never have dreamed was possible in our early years."
Their journey has been full of surprises. In year one they expected to make a significant loss. In fact, they had believed they wouldn’t make a profit in the first three years. But a profit was made and has grown exponentially year on year since. The pair said all earnings had been reinvested fully for "continuous growth".
They’d planned to open their first bar in 2017, but by then they’d already got two bars in Newport and Cardiff and had outgrown the Maesglas base - swapping it for the £4m “Roggy” site which houses a brewery, bar and plush offices and meeting rooms.
“Because neither of us had been in the beer industry we thought our sales would come from south Wales, but within the first five years we were partnering with some of the best pub, bar and restaurant operators in the UK," Brad explained.
“But it hasn’t always been like this. We paid ourselves less than what we were on in our previous jobs for five years to get to this point.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Gazz remembered of their first year. “I was in work seven days a week for 10 or 12 hours a day. It didn’t stop. We lived and breathed it because it was our baby and we were the only ones in it. It was sink or swim. Fortunately we’re now in a position where we can help guide and develop our team, attracting the best talent. Our rebels have helped evolve and accelerate us beyond what we thought possible."
With such growth has come pressure to get decisions right, and the pair admitted they’d missed the mark on occasion. They were recently embroiled in a debate on sexism within the beer industry after briefly naming two of their burgers Motorboat and The BJ. They then were warned over some of their branding appealing to underage drinkers and making derogatory reference to mental illness and sex.
The regulator panel found the Original Nuttah (which they said was named after a famous jungle track) beer was a "derogatory term referring to those who suffered from mental illness", the Bump 'n' Grind (which they said was named after a well know UK garage track) "suggested a direct association with sexual activity", and that Cherry Bomb had not adequately displayed that it was an alcoholic drink.
“Bad process,” Brad responded when asked about the revelations. “We didn’t have the right process in place which we have learned from. We try and empower all of our staff. We always try and make it about our team, not about me and Gazz. At times we’ve got it wrong. I think we’ve corrected it and learned from what happened.
“We’re not 24 anymore doing this on our own. We’re 35-plus and there are a lot more people in this business who have a connection to Tiny Rebel and what we stand for. It’s imperative that they are proud to work here."
Gazz said: “Mistakes have been made and it’s important we learn from them. We would never consider names for beers that we’d have considered years ago. We’re a fast moving business at a time when the world is changing and we're determined to change with it."
The proof of the pudding is in the eating and it’s clear their beer is a standout for Wales’ young drinkers in particular. Among their most popular are the citric Clwb Tropica and Cali Pale and the Pump Up The Jam - their jam doughnut pale ale.
Brad insisted there was “no-one better in the UK at knowing what will catch on when it comes to a good flavour” than Gazz.
Gazz said: “Making beer is making beer, it’s just adding extra flavours towards the end - whether it’s dry hopping, fruit, marshmallows or something else. It’s more expensive to make than a bitter style beer, but people’s taste demands have changed.
“In the last 10 years the craft beer scene has completely shifted. Beers we released at the beginning people would think are boring now. Beers are now more flavourful, more hazy, more experimental. We’ve had to evolve with it and it’s a constant challenge that we love.
“We’re not run by accountants. We look at the quality of the product before we look at how much it is going to cost us to make. We make beers we like to drink because we’re beer fans at the end of the day.”
Brad said: “In 2009 when we’d go to London there would be a handful of places that would sell craft ale. Now there are thousands. Beer has reinvented itself and it had to. It had to differentiate and get away from what cask and keg was. There has been a big shift in consumers and what they want.
“The product has to be brilliant. We’re using flavours in beer that people have never used before, and it’s always a risk. Gazz always says people first drink beer with their eyes and their nose, and we don’t know what it will look, smell or taste like. There is a lot to think about.”
It isn’t just more wacky flavours on the horizon either. “We believe we have untapped potential to evolve into spirits and cider,” Brad said. “We’re launching a new London dry gin and spiced rum this summer which we’re really excited about. It’s been a mad journey but it genuinely feels like we’re just getting started. There is a long way to go. We have almost outgrown this base which is unbelievable. We’ll always be here, but we have intentions to acquire another brewery soon.”
Will that be in Wales? “We’d like to think so. It’d be great if we could have it here.”
“We’re very proud of our roots. You’d only have to quickly click on our website to find out we’re Welsh and from Newport,” Gazz said. “We love being Newport. It’s the underdog and we’d like to think of ourselves as the underdog. That’s what Tiny Rebel stands for.”
Brad added: “Everyone gives Newport a hard time, but there is so much good coming out of this city - there are good businesses and communities here. Every city has its challenges and Newport is no different. We’re very proud to be here and we’ll always be here.”
For a bar it’s refreshingly unusual how many small children are running around the place, albeit it is half-term. CBeebies is on the big projector screen to the side of the bar and there is free face painting on offer.
“I have three young girls and I know whether I’m welcome or not in an establishment,” Gazz said. “We’re very much a family business and we understand the struggles parents face.”
“It’s what we’re about,” Brad said. “We want our kids and families to feel comfortable here. Our kids are often here after school and at weekends, and they are happy running around in Tiny Rebel gear and telling their friends about Tiny Rebel at school.
“We’d love to pass it on to them one day - if they want it. I hope we’re building something they can be proud of. I think we are.”
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