Meet the ale enthusiasts launching a craft beer hall in Bolton

A new brewery and craft beer hall is launching in Bolton with the help of a £25k startup loan.

Northern Monkey Brew Co, the company behind the new venture, will use the five-figure investment to expand into a purpose-built facility at The Link Project.

Business partners Ryan Bailey and Liam Convey, who founded the firm in 2016, are also establishing the Bolton Beer Hall – a micro bar and service area selling cask and craft ales alongside a mix of craft spirits.

Northern Monkey Brew Co currently supplies five cask ales to over 40 pubs and bars in the region.

The company secured the £25k loan from Business Finance Solutions (BFS), North West delivery partner of the government’s £310m Start Up Loans programme.

Ryan said: “The support and funding from BFS has enabled us to build and expand our business at a critical point in our future and in the evolution of the real ale market, which is driven by consumers looking for quality, authenticity, originality and a premium experience that can’t be replicated at home.

“The Link Project is an ideal new home for us because it allow us to sell our own goods on site whilst maintaining off site sales and also working with other businesses within The Link and across Bolton town centre.”

He added: “We want to grow our business at the heart of our community, contributing significantly to the ongoing redevelopment of Bolton Town centre.”

Roger Seddon, head of lending at BFS, part of the The Growth Company and a lending partner of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, commented: “Having already established a great reputation within Bolton, the Northern Monkey Brew Co were presented with an opportunity to take their growth to the next level and we were able to work quickly with them to arrange the funding they needed to secure significantly larger premises.

“Liam and Ryan are passionate about their craft and have become fantastic ambassadors for the redevelopment and reinvention of Bolton town centre.”

He continued: “Their new venue joins a growing number of high quality restaurants and bars that are opening locally and contributing significantly to the growing prosperity of the region.”