Hobsons scoops top SIBA brewing gong

17-Nov-2010 - Last updated on 11-Mar-2017 at 23:55 GMT

(L-R) Kate White, marketing manager at Hobsons Brewery; Nick Davis, Hobsons Brewery owner and Tim Croxson of Award sponsors Croxsons

Shropshire-based Hobsons Brewery scooped the top gong at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Brewing Business Awards yesterday.

Hobsons, which was founded in 1993 by the Davis family, won the Best Overall Business Award after also picking up the award for the Best Green Business.

Hobsons was praised by judges for its "exceptional attitude" towards quality and the culture of local brewing.

The brewery has reduced its carbon footprint by 17.5 tonnes over the past three years after designing its own solution to recover heat from its cold barrel store to heat its bottle conditioning room as well as installing a wind turbine and a rain harvesting system. (For more details on how Hobsons reduced its carbon footprint, see the video below.)

Highly commended in the overall category were Otter Brewery and Lodden Brewery.

The awards were dished out at the Crowne Plaza hotel in the City, London following the second SIBA Pub Retail Conference, run in association with the Morning Advertiser.

Other business award winners:

Best Customer Support: Thornbridge Brewery

Best E-Business: Lodden Brewery

Best Business Innovation: Otter Brewery

Best Sponsorship: Wood's Brewery

Best Promotion and PR: Bays Brewery

Best Marketing Launch: Liberation Brewery

Best Green Business: Hobsons Brewery

Best Total Design Concept: Good Cheer Beer, Roosters Brewery

Best Individual Bottle Label: Wye Valley

Best Range of Bottle Labels: Bristol Beer Factory

Best Individual Pumpclip: Red Top, Old Dairy Brewery