Bedlam Brewery to crowdfund £800k for expansion

24-Jun-2019 - Last updated on 24-Jun-2019 at 13:37 GMT

Loyal beer lovers: Sussex-based Bedlam Brewery wants to raise up to £800,000 through crowdfunding

Bedlam Brewery hopes to raise up to £800,000 through crowdfunding so it can expand its operations across the country and open a taproom in Brighton.

The brewery is aiming to raise an initial £600,000, with a stretch target of £800,000, in exchange for 20% of the business, by appealing to fans of the south coast company’s craft and traditional cask products.

Over the course of four years, the brewery will invest more in its site nestled at the foot of the South Downs near Burgess Hill in West Sussex.

If the stretch target is reached, the business will create a Brewery Tap retail operation in Brighton, Sussex.

The crowdfunding effort has raised more than £290,000 already and still has a month to run before it finishes.

Crowdfunding helped the business relocate and build a new brewery powered by solar power in 2016.

Solar power has enabled the company to brew more than five times the volume previously brewed, in addition to a zero-waste policy where spent grain is fed to cattle and hops used for compost.

Profits on the up

Since the site move, the brewery’s turnover has increased as it has expanded on-trade distribution beyond Sussex and across the south-east and in London.

In its previous financial year, average on-trade distribution was up more than 90% year on year and turnover was up 57.5% at £526,000.

This translates to more than 500,000 pints of Bedlam beer sold in the year.

It appointed its first CEO at the beginning of this year, with Bob Emms who previously worked for the Scottish & Newcastle and Meantime Brewing Company.

Emms said: “We brew award-winning beer that our customers love as much as we do and, over the past eight years, Bedlam has built a family of impassioned, loyal beer lovers.

“With further investment, we are looking to invest in key areas of the business, capacity within the brewery, and people and brand investment in sales and marketing.

“With the continued commitment of our dedicated, expanded team we will commit to making exceptional beer and develop the business within Sussex and beyond.”

It is the official brewery for former Great British Pub Award winner The Bull, in Ditchling, East Sussex.