Entrepreneurial father and son purchase Sheffield site to house microbrewery

A father-and-son entrepreneurial duo have expanded their business with the purchase of a new site in Sheffield to house their microbrewery.

Mark and Matthew Steer have purchased a new unit to locate their Little Critters Brewery with funding support from NatWest and the bank’s asset finance partner Lombard.

The brewery is part of the Lancar Ltd business which includes an IT firm as well as two pubs in South Yorkshire: The Fox and Duck in Broomhill and The Doctor’s Orders on Glossop Road.

To support the volume of beer which is sold in the pubs, Mark began making his own brews just over a year ago.

Mark said: “We made a few different brews which were tested with my family and then we adapted recipes from there. Little Critters is looking to brew eight cask ales which are made up of five core ales and three bottled products.

“I think you are seeing a trend of people wanting to return to locally produced products instead of mass market varieties. People want more choice and want to support local businesses which is part of the reason you are seeing more microbreweries like Little Critters.”

One new job has been created at Little Critters Brewery and Mark plans to add to the workforce as the microbrewery develops.

When the time came to obtain funding for the development, Mark turned to NatWest relationship manager Gavin Senior for support. Mark has been a NatWest customer for more than 10 years.

Mark added: “Gavin is a really supportive bank manger. He is on hand to offer strong advice. We have a good relationship with NatWest and can rely on their support.”

Gavin commented: “I was delighted to support Mark and Lancar on the purchase of a new site for the Little Critters Brewery. It’s a great business which continues to grow and I wish the business every success for the future.”