Sheffield brewery invests in growth with six-figure funding deal

A Sheffield brewery has embarked on a business growth plan with support from a NatWest six-figure funding deal.

Abbeydale Brewery also owns two pubs in Sheffield, The Rising Sun on Fulwood Road and the Devonshire Cat in the city. Both pubs showcase real ales and craft beers from Abbeydale and from other independent breweries.

Abbeydale Brewery, which has a turnover of around £4m per annum, now employs more than 70 people across its brewery and public houses.

Located on Aizlewood Road, Abbeydale Brewery was launched in 1996 with its range of real ales and craft beers.

In the last 18 months, the brewery has undertaken a number of major projects, all supported by NatWest funding, including the purchasing of new 10,000 litre vessels to increase production capability, and the start of a brewery re-branding project.

Abbeydale has also undertaken refurbishments of both pubs. The Rising Sun was extended, refurbished and had a full catering kitchen installed. More recently, the Devonshire Cat was refurbished with an extended kitchen.

As a result, both projects have resulted in turnover doubling year on year.

Abbeydale’s core beer pump clips have remained largely untouched since the brewery’s formation in 1996. After twenty years, the brewery appointed Field Design, based in the Workstation in Sheffield, to refresh the range, whilst paying homage to Abbeydale’s rich history and ensuring that the familiarity with these beers was not lost.

Dan Baxter, director at Abbeydale Brewery, said: “We are very pleased that the original artwork had such longevity, but we knew the time had come to re-invest in our artwork for our treasured core beers.

“We wanted to make sure that our existing drinkers still recognised their favourite beers, while giving our publican customers pump clips they could be proud to display, reinforcing the great quality beers we produce.

“We are an innovative business and are constantly developing new products for customers. Having rebranded our core range of beers we are now moving on to some of our other products and looking at new ones.

“To ensure we able to provide consistently great beer and a great customer experience we have to invest continually in the brewery and the pubs.”

He added: “We have been with NatWest for eight years and know we have a bank that understands our business and our aspirations. We work closely with our Relationship Manager, Will Islip, who takes the time to understand us and has confidence in us.”

Will Islip, senior relationship manager at NatWest, commented: “Abbeydale Brewery is a fantastic local business in the heart of Sheffield that is committed to sustainable growth strategy.

“The investment in some of their signature brands and in their pub network is a testament to this and we wish the business every success for the future.”