The brewer has invested in a total of four new projects including a new craft beer production unit, newly installed packaging lines, a beer storage and delivery facility in Bridgwater, Somerset - creating 12 local jobs bolstering the West Country economy – and investment at the existing Butcombe brewery, near Bristol, to increase capacity.
The investment will see the brewery install a bottling and kegging line at its second site to bring the quality control of bottled and kegs beers back in house.
The development will allow double digit growth in its keg range, including flagship brand Butcombe Original, as well as Goram (Avon IPA 5%), Blonde (Blonde Ale 4.5%) and Bohemia, a 4.7% ABV Pilsner brewed with a lager yeast and cold fermented for four weeks.
Improved capacity
The new brewery facility and distribution unit is close to the M5 and will allow for faster distribution across the company’s heartland and further afield.
The purchase of additional fermentation and conditioning vessels will also improve capacity and capability at the brewery’s current site. These improvements will allow Butcombe to produce up to an additional 40,000 barrels of beer per year, enabling continued growth.
Speaking about the investment, managing director of brewing and brands Steve Wilkinson said: “This significant investment will provide us with a new platform to better service our customers more effectively at a lower cost, which we intend to reinvest in our brands to secure future growth and keep pace with the increasing demand for all of our new beers.
“Bringing our packaging 'in-house' will give us better quality control over our brands and enhance our capability.”
Consistent, quality beers
“The investment in specialist bottling and kegging equipment is a rare opportunity for a regional brewer of our size to really gear up and satisfy the rapidly changing market, to redouble our efforts in our heartland with Butcombe Cask beers at the centre of what we do supported by the same consistent quality beers in bottle and keg.”
Wilkinson added: “These improvements will allow us to ensure we retain and enhance our quality reputation while stepping up production to move closer to our long-term goal of becoming the number one regional brewer.”
Earlier this month, Butcombe purchased its first ever pub in Dorset, buying the previously family-owned the Castle Inn, West Lulworth, for an undisclosed sum.