Cornwall’s Harbour Brewing has expanded its distribution channels with the announcement that St Austell Brewery has taken a minor stake in the business.
Harbour said its range of beers, which are stocked in national supermarkets and hospitality venues across the UK, would be made available in St Austell Brewery’s estate of pubs and hotels throughout the South West following the agreement.
Production will remain at Harbour’s site in Kirland, near Bodmin, with the company confirming it would be increasing its volume of beer. No financial details were disclosed about the deal.
Harbour said the partnership meant its products would be available to “a much wider audience for the first time”.
Founder Eddie Lofthouse said: “We’ve always had a fantastic relationship with St Austell Brewery. When we first started in 2012, they did our bottling before we had the equipment to do it ourselves, and the former brewing director Roger Ryman was a mentor and good friend.
“Since then we've built strong relationships across the business, from the brewery team to the board, based on shared values of independence, quality and our connection to Cornwall.”
St Austell Brewery's chief executive, Kevin Georgel, said: “This is a very exciting investment for us. The Harbour team has done an incredible job of building the brand over the past decade, and their beers are truly loved by those in the know.
“For us, this investment is representative of our desire to bring new beers to our customers, with a focus on craftsmanship and quality. We know Harbour’s brands will be popular in pubs and bars across our region and we can’t wait to work with the team, developing their great beers throughout our home county of Cornwall and the wider South West.”
St Austell Brewery has acquired three pubs in Cornwall and Devon in recent months, its first transactions for more than two years, as it looks to expand its estate to more than 200 venues.
Mr Georgel recently said rising inflationary pressures, including “unprecedented” energy costs were causing “real challenges” for the family-run independent business, and called on the government to support the hospitality industry as it faces “significant headwinds”.
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